No fewer than 25 persons,
including women and children, were yesterday feared killed by suspected Fulani
insurgents at Arikya-Soni, a boundary area between Nasarawa-Eggon and Lafia
local government areas of Nasarawa State.
Eyewitness told news
reporters in Lafia that the gunmen reportedly ambushed and killed their victims
on their way back from the farms early in the morning, and seized nine
motorcycles belonging to the deceased persons.
A mass burial was
yesterday conducted for the victims after their remains were recovered at Umme,
at about 1 pm.
The victims, who are all
of Eggon ethnic nationality of the state, hailed from Umme, Arugbadu and
Bakyano villages of Nasarawa Eggon local government area.
When contacted, the
Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, of Nasarawa State command, confirmed the
incident and said investigation had commenced to unravel the perpetrators of
the criminal act.
A survivor, Mrs. Saratu
Mustapha, told newsmen at Ashangbo clinic in the locality where she is
receiving treatment for gun shots wound, that she was returning from the farm
in company of her husband and sister on a motorcycle when the gunmen attacked
them.
She explained that her
husband and her sister were among those killed during the attack, stating that
she was able to escape into the bush.
Another survivor from
Arugbadu, Habibu Mohammed, explained that he was returning from the farm along
with his parents when Fulani gunmen opened fire on them.
Mohammed who could not
control his emotions, further explained that he lost his parents in the attack
as well as his motorcycle with which he was conveying them.
Reacting to the incident,
a member representing the area (Nasarawa Eggon East constituency) in the state
House of Assembly, Mohammed Muluku, who led journalists to the scene of the
incident, expressed shock over the high casualty figure.
He called on the Federal Government
to establish a permanent military base in the area to prevent further attacks
on his constituents.
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