Fulani Attack: One Shot, Hospitalised In Delta Community As Residents Call For Rescue
*Attack and chase Tantita’s staffers from duty post
•••As Obakpororo Johnny and Oghenemakpo Uyo decry incessant attacks on the community
By Matthias Ogbagah
EDJEKOTA – Palpable tension and pandemonium loom in Ughelli North local government area of Delta State followed series of coordinated attacks on the residents of Edjekota-Ogor community by the members of extremist jihadist popularly known as ‘Boko Haram’.
Speaking to newsmen, the community President General, Pastor Oghenemakpo Uyo, said the once peaceful agricultural community has been under siege in recent times as members of extremist jihadist popularly known as ‘Boko Haram’ invaded the community last week left one with bullet and cutlass wounds.
According to him, the terrorists invaded the community through the Oviri-Ogor/Edjekota-Ogor road at about 8:00 pm and lunch offensive attack on the father of a three-month-old baby and his wife.
Uyo disclosed further that the terrorists asked their victim to follow them while returning from inside the town, where he had gone to buy baby food for his three-month-old baby.
Upon arrival at his home from where he had gone to buy his baby’s food, his attackers emerged from the thick darkness, held him and asked him to follow them, but for his refusal, they cut and shot him.
“I heard the gunshot, and I immediately called out the security outfit of the community to trace the direction of the gunshot, and on sighting the vigilante, they escaped into the thick bush, leaving one of their cutlass and a bag containing a ragolist bottle filled with AK 47 ammunition, sugar, packets of cigarettes, Garri and pepper”
Condemning the attack, the House of Representatives aspirant for Ughelli North, Ughelli South and Udu federal constituency in the just concluded Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Hon. Obakpororo Johnny called on the Delta State and federal government of Nigeria to beef up the security of Ughelli North local government area, particularly Edjekota-Ogor community.
Speaking to newsmen, the Fulani survivor (name withheld) narrated his ordeal at the hands of his attackers, saying that he went out to buy his baby’s food only for him to be attacked by herdsmen as he returned home.
“They asked me to follow them to an unknown destination. I said I would not follow them; they started cutting me with a cutlass and shot me many times, but God saved me.
“They were three in numbers, they were speaking Hausa language, they all carried riffle, when they saw the community vigilante coming, they escaped into the thick bush before rescue came my way”, he stated.
Earlier, the community President General, Pastor Uyo, disclosed that two days after, another set of the herdsmen came from the same bush to the community to buy foodstuffs, and they were rounded up and handed over to the DPO ‘A’ Division Ughelli with the arms recovered from them.
Meanwhile, staffers of Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited (TSSNL) on duty narrowly escaped an ambush by the same Fulani herdsmen on rampage.
All efforts to get the Delta State Police command image maker, SP Bright Edafe, for a comment were abortive as his call lines are not reachable as of the time of filing this report.
