Panic in Sabon-Wuse over herders migrating from Niger Republic

There was panic in Sabon-Wuse town in Niger State when some nomadic herders crossed into the town from Niger Republic.

Sabon-Wuse is a few kilometres away from Zuba, the Federal Capital Territory, FCT.

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As soon as the herders crossed the Abuja-Kaduna Highway, some residents, who had started their daily activities, rushed back home in fear.

Our reporter, who visited the area, gathered that the Fulani herders, comprising men, women and children, got to the area around 8am.

They moved with large number of animals comprising cows, sheep, donkeys and camels.

A local vigilante leader, Hussaini Abubakar, told Daily Trust that, on arriving at the highway from the Gurara area council, the herders stopped for a while due to gridlock around a military checkpoint between Dikko junction and the town.

“They were able to cross the road after a while, and immediately we met them across the road, which is under Tafa LGA where we operate.

“We engaged some of them to know about their mission. From what we gathered, some of them are from the Niger Republic and they were heading to Bauchi State,” said the vigilante leader.

He added that the herders’ efforts to cross the highway, which had led to gridlock, and also the fact that some of them were on motorcycles, made many people among the residents and passersby, to panic.

Many parents rushed to the schools to withdraw their children in the morning after rumours that the Fulani herdsmen had invaded the area for attack, with others describing it as the Boko Haram invasion.

Also speaking, the Chairman of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders (MACBAN) in the area, Malam Haruna Idris, said there has been a constant movement of nomadic herders for over a month now.

“And every time we asked them about their mission, their answers were that they were migrating from either Niger, Kebbi or Zamfara states, and heading to Bauchi.

“And in most cases, they used to pass their night around some nearby Rugas (Herders settlement), before proceeding on their journey, Idris adds.

Daily Trust gathered that the herders have since continued their journey toward Ijah-Gwari in the state that shares a boundary with Bwari in Abuja.

Efforts to speak to the Police Area Commander in Suleja, ACP Sani Badarawa, was not successful, as he did not answer a phone calls.