By Lucky Isibor,
Suspected Herdsmen on Wednesday, February 19, attacked and killed two indigenes of Owan village, One Owoh aged 45 and Samuel Imonkhai in the agrarian community of Ovia North East Local Government Area of Edo state.
Owoh, until his gruesome murder perpetrated by suspected herders was a palm wine tapper. He was shot by the bandits where he was tapping his palm in the farm while the other victim, Samuel Imonkhai was brutally murdered in his farm by same suspected herders.
In a ‘Save Our Soul’ message to the Edo state government, residents of Owan, Agbanikaka, Uhiere, Odiguetie and Odighi Communities all in Uhiere Ward of Ovia North East LGA of the state appealed to Governor Godwin Obaseki and the security agencies to come to their rescue to end the incessant and unprovoked killings by suspected herdsmen in their communities.
Speaking, the Odionwere of Owan community, Pa Ifiabor Michael said the Owan communities have been under siege from suspected headsmen who have not only ravaged the people’s farm land but have also embarked on a killing spree of the inhabitants.
He said not fewer than 8 persons, predominantly farmers have been killed across these communities since the start of February, 2020.
“Just today, two indigenes of Owan Village, a Palm Wine tapper named Owoh and aged 45 was shot straight at by the bandits where he was tapping his palm wine, while another man named Samuel Imonkhai was brutally murdered by the same bandits.” he said.
Another local resident who didn’t want his name in print said all efforts made by the inhabitants of these communities to draw government attention to their plight has not received any attention.
He added that Owan community had become a flashpoint for herders as according to him, recently a policeman was killed while another policeman and several other indigenes of Owan community notably vigilante members sustained various degrees of bullet injury from an ambush from these same bandits when they attempted to go to the bush to retrieve the corpse of a member of the community that was also killed in the farm by this same herdsmen.
Several calls put across to the Edo state police command spokesman, DSP Chidi Nwabuzor over the incident went unanswered.
