Rita Odafe
Tragedy struck in the Paikon Bassa community of Gurdi ward in the FCT as a farmer was brutally killed, and his wife was assaulted by suspected herders.
According to local resident Wokili Bala, the event transpired on Saturday, January 11, 2025, around 11:23 AM when herders’ cattle invaded a guinea corn field.
At that moment, the farmer was working in the field with his wife and their two children when the herders’ cows started to graze on the crops.
The couple’s children attempted to ask the herders to remove their cattle from the farm, which sparked a confrontation.
“As the children argued with the herders about their cows damaging the crops, chaos erupted, and one of the herders took out a machete,” he recounted.
Bala explained that the farmer rushed in to protect his children from harm.
“While he was defending them, one of the herders struck him with a machete, hitting him on the head,” he added.
Following the attack, the children fled for safety as the herders continued their assault, ultimately forcing themselves on the farmer’s wife.
“By the time the children returned after notifying someone about the situation, their father had died, and their mother had already been assaulted,” Bala stated.
He mentioned that the farmer was buried shortly after, while the wife was taken to the hospital for urgently needed care.
Reports from Daily Trust reveal that the herders were moving from Zago village in Niger State to another area when they grazed their cows on the farmer’s land.
“We were alerted about the occurrence, and our vigilantes quickly went to the scene, but the herders managed to escape with their cattle. We are currently pursuing them,” Bala noted.
