In two communities, Gurujaji and Malari in Fika LGA of Yobe State, an unknown number of houses, along with other belongings, were set on fire in a retaliatory attack late on Monday evening by suspected herdsmen.
It was learned that the two villages were attacked by ferocious Fulani herdsmen after the residents had reportedly resisted their earlier attack when the herders’ herds of cattle trespassed on their watermelon fields.
The invading ranchers assaulted the towns on motorbikes, most of them wielding machetes and bows and arrows, according to Zagazola Makama, a security analyst and expert in counter-insurgency in the Lake Chad region.
The invading herdsmen were successful in setting several houses and other goods, mainly food items, on fire in the vicinity, though the exact number of casualties was still unknown.
According to reports, the first conflict between the farmers and herdsmen in the communities happened in January 2024 when the cattle herds devastated the watermelon plantations.
When word got out, the herders, who said the farmers had rustled some of their livestock, swore to use revenge to teach the villages a lesson.
At the time this report was sent, no one had been arrested, and the distressed farmers were tallying their losses.
Governor of Yobe State Mai Mala Buni has expressed sympathy to the people of Gurujaji on the violence perpetrated on the village by a few state intruders.
“The government in collaboration with security agencies and vigilante groups has taken more measures to ensure peace and security in the area,” the governor stated, adding that the increased security measures in the area are already having a beneficial effect.
The governor declared, “The government in collaboration with security agencies and vigilante groups has taken more measures to ensure peace and security in the area,” and claimed that the increased security measures in the area are already having a beneficial effect.
Buni reiterated that “they will be pursued and defeated by the grace of God” and promised that no effort will be spared in pursuing the intruders.
Relief supplies for the attack victims are to be sent by the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) per the governor’s directive.
