A 56-year-old farmer in Plateau State was killed after being attacked by suspected Fulani herders in the Miango village of Bassa Local Government Area.
Stephen, the victim’s son, verified the incident to reporters in Jos on Friday, giving details of the assault.
According to Stephen, his father went to his farm on Thursday to check on the millet cultivation.
Upon arriving, he discovered Fulani herders grazing their cattle on the farm, damaging his crops.
When his father approached them and asked them to remove their animals, the herders attacked him.
Stephen described the attack, saying, “It was yesterday (Thursday) around 5 pm. My father went to his farm in the Miango community, where he cultivated millet and saw some Fulani herdsmen grazing on the farm with their cows.
“My father then approached them with the intention to ask them to remove their cows, as they were destroying the crops.
“And that’s how the herders attacked him. They used their knives and cut all over his body, leaving him in a pool of his blood. And that’s how my father died eventually.”
Stephen expressed sadness over the delayed response from security agents, saying, “Some people have reported the incident to the security agents after my father was killed, and it was only this morning, today (Friday), that we saw the security men arrive in the house.”
Alabo Alfred, the spokesman for the Plateau State Police Command, could not be reached immediately since calls to his mobile phone indicated that it was turned off.
The incident has prompted worries about farmers’ safety in the community, as well as the necessity for strong security measures to prevent similar attacks.
Some citizens who responded to the authorities urged the state police command and the Special Military Taskforce in charge of preserving calm in the state to investigate the incident and bring the offenders to justice.