Residents of Ugo community in Orhionmwon local government council area of Edo State were left in rude shock following the invasion of the community by armed herdsmen who left scores of persons dead in a bloody attack .
The dastardly attack , according to information made available to the Nigerian Observer ,happened on January 30th 2021.
Mike Odigie ,a farmer and indigene of the community while narrating the incident said the herdsmen killed several farmers in Ugo Community and set their farm produce ablaze.
It was understood that the armed herdsmen following the dastardly attack which left many farmers dead and others injured entered Ugo community shooting sporadically into the air .
Confirmed reports in the community revealed that indigenes of Ugo community were seen scampering for safety as many ran to neighbouring communities to avoid being killed by the marauding herdsmen.
Mike Odigie ,a farmer and indigene of the community while narrating the incident said the herdsmen killed several farmers in Ugo Community and set their farm produce ablaze.
Speaking further , Mike said the herdsmen have been grazing on his farm since 2017, adding that he planted cocoa, cassava, pineapples and plantains on the 60 hectares of his farmland.
He said a more frustrating experience is the fact that the herdsmen grazed their cattle on every section of the farm, particularly where plantain, pineapple, cocoa, cassava and matured cocoa trees were grown, while they set some other sections of the farmland ablaze.
Another farmer identified as Alex Uyi who spoke with the Nigerian Observer said he started taking record of the invasion and destruction of his farmland in 2019 by herdsmen who set his yam barn , plantain and cocoa plantation on fire.
“large number of cattle grazed on my cassava farm as the herdsmen uprooted the cassava for their cattle to feed and also cut down the plantains for their cattle to eat.
“ 10 water storage tanks, 5 weed spraying pump machines were destroyed while several were workers inflicted with bodily injuries on them,” he said.
Meanwhile, as many indigenes of Ugo community are yet to return to home after the invasion and attack by herdsmen, others have called on relevant authorities to come their rescue in Ugo Community .
A group of farmers under the aegies of United Farmers of Ugo community said it has written several petitions to draw security agencies including the commissioner of police and the state government’s attention to the dastardly attack by herdsmen on January 30th 2021 noting this has not yielded any result.
