A farmer and a policeman have been reportedly killed by suspected herdsmen in Owan community, Ovia North East local government area of Edo state.
The Herald gathered that the policeman was killed by the suspects while trying to retrieve the body.
A brother to the farmer was also said to be hit by bullets fired by the herdsmen. The killing made the community members block the Bénin-Akure highway to protest the killings and sought government attention to the crisis.
Farmers at Igbanke community in Orhionmwon local government also protested destruction of the crops by herdsmen. The farmers who protested to Bénin City said they could no longer enter their farms.
They alleged that yams, cassava and other crops were used to feed cows after which the farmlands are set ablaze by the herdsmen to enable fresh grass to grow.
An elder of Iganke, James Iguando, said, “We are afraid. We cannot take laws into our hands. We don’t have plantain, yams and others again. We are now hungry. Herdsmen take their cows to eat our produce.”
Motorists plying the road were stranded for several hours that the protest lasted. One of the protesters who gave his name as Moses, said herdsmen in the bush have been killing and raping women in their community.
Moses said their crops have been destroyed by the herdsmen.
According to him, “They killed our person in the bush. We called in the police so that we can retrieve the body but they attacked again and killed a policeman. The government should come to our aid. Herdsmen are terrorising us. We need help so that we can go to our farms.”
Meanwhile, Edo police spokesman, DSP Chidi Nwabuzor, said the policeman did not die.
Nwabuzor said the policeman and other injured persons are receiving treatment in the hospital and said that investigations have commenced. He said the police have received petition on the issue and was working on the matter.