George Onyejiuwa, Owerri
Palpable tension has enveloped Obudi Agwa community in Oguta Local Government Area of Imo State as suspected Fulani herdsmen attacked and killed a native of the community in his farm.
Sunday Sun learnt that the deceased, Elder Ozoemena Iriaka, had gone to his farm in the morning hours when he saw some herdsmen grazing their cattle on his farm and had challenged them why they should be grazing on his farm.
It was learnt that the deceased had tried to chase away the cows from his farm, which action angered the herdsmen who attacked him with their machete, inflicting deep cuts on the back of his head as he struggled to escape from them.
Mr Declan Odime Okaru, a native of the community, confirmed that Elder Iriaka was attacked and killed by the herdsmen he had challenged for grazing their cows on his farm.
He lamented that the herdsmen have been in the habit of grazing their cows on the farms of the community.
His words: “Ozoemena Iriaka who is one of the elders in this community had gone to his farm and met the Fulani herdsmen grazing their cows on his farm and when he tried to chase away the cows the herdsmen attacked him and even when he tried to escape from the attack they chased after him and machete him to death. The herdsmen inflicted a deep machete cut on the back of his head and even on his two hands and then ran away.
“But when we got the report, the youths mobilized and in the process we caught up with one of the fleeing herdsmen who we handed over to the Oguta Police Division because we restrained the angry youths not to take the law into their hands.
“Those herdsmen have been in the habit of grazing their cows on the farms of the people of this community and when the people challenge them they will attack you”.
When contacted, the spokesman of the Imo State Police Command, Mr Orlando Ikokwu asked our reporter to send him an SMS, which at the time of filing this report he has not replied.