Ahmed Abubakar, Dutse
No fewer than 400 Fulani residents of Fulata Village, in Taura Local Government Area of Jigawa State fled their settlements after they came under heavy attacks by farmers in the area.
Houses, grain barns and other structures allegedly belonging to the Fulani residents were completely razed when the angry farmers attacked them.
Trouble began after the last Friday Jummat prayers at around 2.30 pm when a resident, identified as Hamza reported the invasion of his beans farm by an foreign Fulani herders.
The scuffle resulted in the injury of about 10 other residents said to have sustained wounds from the arrows shot at them by the Fulani people.
Angry farmers were later said to have mobilised more people who attacked and burnt down houses of Fulani people.
About four hundred Fulani indigenes, including women and children later fled from the area, with many taking shelters at friends and other relatives’ places across the state.
The Sarkin Fulani, Alhaji Sabo Ali, who hosted one of the camps in Taura, lamented the incident, adding that many of his people were injured “and have run to Kano for safety”.
“We are yet to ascertain how many people were killed or injured because many are still missing after the attack and over a hundred are taking refuge at my residence.
“I received ‘hundreds of Fulani including women and children at 2 a.m. who fled the scene of the crisis. I called on my children and other Fulani to be calm and avoid the crisis area.
“I even went ahead and notified the divisional police officer and local government chairman of the development who pleaded with me to continue to house them until nomalcy returns to the area’’
When contacted, Police Public Relations Officer ,Abdul Jinjiri, who confirmed the incidence also explained that about ten people have been taken to the hospital for treatments of varying degrees of injuries sustained in the conflict.
He further stated that the command is yet to effect any arrest but assured that enough mobile policemen were deployed in the area for vigilance and to restore order there.