In the Darazo Local Government Area of Bauchi State, at least seven persons have been killed in a violent battle between herders and farmers in the Lanzai and Dosho towns.
The incident apparently started when farmers tending to their crops on the outskirts of the Lanzai hamlet were attacked by suspected herders, according to the Bauchi State Police Command.
The command received reports of the attack, which prompted a retaliatory response from youngsters in the vicinity, according to police spokesperson SP Nafiu Habib’s statement on Thursday.
Reportedly, the enraged youngsters attacked the Fulani herders’ village of Dosho and set fire to many buildings. The violence resulted in the destruction of around fifty huts and other household items.
Seven individuals have been confirmed dead, with six more injured and in the hospital for treatment, according to authorities. During the disturbance, a number of houses and individual possessions were also destroyed.
The police have sent tactical teams and operatives to the communities that have been impacted in order to stop the situation from getting worse. In addition to stepping up patrols in Lanzai, Dosho, and the surrounding neighbourhoods, the Violent Crime Response Unit has been activated to bolster security.
The state’s top cop, CP Sani-Omolori Aliyu, has mandated an exhaustive probe into the incident.
He promised the locals that justice would be served by identifying and punishing those guilty for the first attack as well as any vengeance that followed.