By Aliyu Dangida
Reports from Dutse, Jigawa State Capital has indicated that two people have been killed as a migration of cattle farmers from neighboring Katsina State ignited clashes between crop farmers and cattle herders in three local government areas of Jigawa State.
In a statement signed and made available to newsmen in Dutse by the police spokesperson, DSP Lawan Adam, said the recent hostilities were caused by migrant herders from Katsina State invited into Jigawa by indigenous herders.
DSP Adam explained that police on Tuesday received information about the presence of a large number of cattle herders from Katsina State, added that the herders were sighted moving towards Safa and Gauraki villages in Birnin Kudu LGA, destroying farmlands along their route and sparking clashes in which two lives were lost.
“On receipt of the ugly report, the Area Commander of Birnin Kudu Area Command mobilised patrol teams alongside Nigeria Security And Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC), and Vigilantee Group of Nigeria (VGN) and rushed to the scenes.
“Farmers were also mobilised in large numbers to defend their farmlands before the arrival of a team. Consequently, the duo attacked themselves, though, the team succeeded in dispersing the warring parties.
“As the visiting herders made off with their cows, two (2) people—one from each side—lost their lives, three (3) of the Indigenous herders’ houses were set on fire, fifteen (15) of the visiting herders’ abandoned cows were found, and five (5) Indigenous herders who were thought to have invited the herders were taken into custody,” the police spokesperson said.
Hotpen reports that, the clashes started on 26 June at four villages of Kalai, Waza, Baranda and Katanga in Dutse, Kiyawa and Birnin Kudu local government areas with residents saying six people were killed but the police saying no death was recorded.
While the second incident which happened on Tuesday in Gauraki village of Birnin Kudu LGA, the police acknowledged that two persons were killed and three injured. Many farmland were also destroyed in the clashes.
The ugly trend came barely 24hrs after the Jigawa State Government under the office of the Secretary to the State Government, Bala Ibrahim inaugurated a 27-member peace committee to check the recurring clashes.
