Suspected gunmen on yesterday attacked local herders at Kademun village in Demsa Local Government area of Adamawa state and killed one person during a peace meeting.
The spokesman of the herders, Usman Ali, told journalists in Yola on Wednesday that the victims were attacked during a reconciliation meeting convened by the district head on the directive of the traditional ruler of Bata Chiefdom (Hama Bata), Alhamdu Teneke.
He explained that a group of people from the farming community had earlier killed twenty cows without any provocation, a development that made the owners to lodge a complaint at the divisional police station in Demsa.
He said the victims also reported the incident to the paramount ruler of Bata Kingdom for his intervention to which he responded by directing the district head to bring the two sides together for amicable settlement of the conflict.
“The cows were grazing in the bush when some villagers attacked them. The attack was not provoked, the cows did not encroach on any farmland and there was not even an argument with the attackers”, he alleged.
“The royal father then summoned the District Head of Kademun and directed him to convene a peace meeting between us and the faming communities. It was at the meeting at the district head’s palace that four Fulani representatives were attacked and a Fulani leader, Alhaji Sahe Umaru was killed. Two policemen also sustained injuries”, he said
Usman appealed to the state and federal government as well as security agencies to fish out the killers and resolve the matter.
The Police Public Relations Officer in Adamawa State, Othman Abubakar confirmed the incident, saying some Fulani men had reported an attack on their cattle in Kademun and policemen were sent with them to identify the scene of the attack as part of investigation when the team came under attack.
He disclosed that a Fulani man went missing while three others escaped the attack in which two policemen sustained injuries.
“One Fulani man is still missing while Police from Demsa divisional headquarters have recovered four motorcycles belonging to the herders,” he stated.
Attempt to reach the authorities at Bata Traditional council on phone by our reporter was not successful as at the time of filing this report.
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