Gunmen Assassinate Chairman Of Fulani Herdsmen In Kogi

The Chairman, Kogi Chapter of Wuro, an association comprising of Fulani herdsmen, Miyetti-Allah
Association, Alhaji Ibrahim Abubakar, has been assassinated by unknown gunmen
who invaded his abode in the early hours of Saturday, October 29, 2016.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the unknown
gunmen numbering about eight, invaded the Peace Community, Road 3, Ganaja road,
Lokoja residence of Abubakar at about 2:05 Saturday morning to carry out the
dastardly act.

Residents of the area, who spoke with newsmen, said they
were gripped with fear when they started hearing gunshots from the residence of
the chairman of Fulani socio-cultural group in the operation that lasted over
an hour.

They said that the gunmen passed through “unfamiliar routes”
to gain access to the deceased’s residence beating the ‘C’ Division Police
Station route where they could have been spotted and questioned.

A neighbor who identified himself simply as Musa, said
there were some strange faces in the vicinity much earlier before the incident,
not knowing they had a sinister motive.

Musa said the gunmen shot at the door to the room of one of
the deceased’s two wives and gained access into 
the house, cut the deceased on the neck and other parts of the body and
later shot him severally.

A medical practitioner with the Federal Medical Centre, Lokoja,
Dr Sam Alhassan, who lives a stone throw from the victim’s residence said: “I
was in my room which is just steps away to his house and I started hearing
gunshots.

“Then I rose up from my bed and looked through the window. I
saw a group of bandits in two lines. At least I saw eight people, and they
started shooting, shooting and shooting.

“The next thing that I saw was that a bullet hit the
overhead tank and water started running down. Later I and my family went quiet
for a while; then the wife of the deceased came out shouting, ‘they have killed
my husband.”

Alhassan said he later came out with his landlord and went
into the deceased’s house to ascertain the truth; only to find him lying in the
pool of his blood with machete cuts and bullet holes in his lifeless body.

The medical practitioner said it was unclear if the gunmen
took cash or property from the house.

He however called on security agencies to be proactive in
crime prevention and detection mandate to avoid loss of innocent lives.

Also, the Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Williams Aya
told NAN that the command received the report, adding that the incident was a
clear case of assassination.

Aya said investigation into the matter has commenced, adding
that the Police is yet to make any arrest in respect of the assassination.