The people of Gurjaje and Malari villages in Fika county of Yobe State are dressed in sorrow after a devastating attack on their communities on Monday night by herdsmen of the Fulani tribe.
The attack was a reprisal for the pushback of the villagers after their watermelon farms were destroyed by the herdsmen’s cattle, according to a Chad Basin security and counter-insurgency expert, Zagazola Makama.
The incident reportedly happened in January and in retaliation, the locals rustled several cattle of the herdsmen. The herdsmen returned Monday night, riding motorbikes and wielding bows and arrows to “teach the communities the lessons of their lives.”
Scores of houses were burned down with properties destroyed. It is still uncertain whether there were casualties during the attack.
As Gurjaje and Malari locals were recovering from the trauma, the herdsmen struck in nearby Bulama Idi on Tuesday night this time around with bows and arrows, and machetes, Zagazola Makama reports. The extent of destruction is yet to be ascertained, as of the time of this report.
—Ezinwanne Onwuka reports for TruthNigeria from Abuja.
