Scores of people, some dressed in military uniform and presumed to be Fulani herdsmen, have reportedly stormed a farming community known as 2nd Abumere Ojigbelu Camp in Edo State's Ovia Northeast Local Government Area and chased the residents away, causing tension in the state.
Some residents have fled for their life and are now seeking sanctuary in other settlements nearby Okada, according to source.
According to reports, the armed men were chased out of the Okada area and fled to Benin City.
Mr Mattu Alli, one of the displaced farmers from Taraba State, said: "I am at a loss for words to describe what I witnessed yesterday (2nd) in our village."
"I've been farming here for the past 20 years with my family." I was in my compound with my family when we began to hear gunshots and people fleeing in various directions. I noticed one Benin man running towards my compound.
"When I asked where he was fleeing to, he stated ranchers had taken over the area and were chasing people out of their homes.
"So I dialled my wife's number, and we were on the run for our lives." I hadn't seen my kids in a long time. We all took off in different directions. As I speak with you, I have no idea where my wife and children are.
"Another thing that made us fearful was when one of the Fulani herdsmen waved a rifle at me and stated, 'Look man, we're for peace; we'll only kill you, people, if you refuse to let our cows graze on your crops.'"
"The yams you have are for our cows, as are the cassava and everything else you have." We will slaughter everyone in this community if you people touch our cows.
"We ran to the next community to be safe."
"Suddenly we heard gunshots and people running," another victim, Mr Sunday Chimen, said. "We later discovered that Fulani herdsmen with AK-47 had taken over our community and were threatening to kill us if we didn't cooperate with them." We made the decision to flee for our life, abandoning our homes and children in an unknown location.
"As our neighbourhood is under siege, we are appealing to the security agencies to assist us."
When contacted, Edo State Police Command Public Relations Officer, SP Kotongs Bello, claimed he had not been briefed on the development and promised to respond as soon as he completed speaking with the Division Police Officer in charge of the region, but he had not done so as of press time.
Source: vanguard news