Gunmen Kill 34-Year-old in Kadarko, Nasarawa State

NKRUMAH BANKONG-OBI/Kadarko

As tension continues to swirl in the tussle for land between the Tiv ethnic community in Nasarawa State and the suspected Fulani herdsmen, another victim has been killed. On Saturday, Samuel Shaapera, a farmer, was killed by the gunmen who now control extensive swathes of Tiv farmlands. The killing occurred in the Kadarko area of Keana Local Government Area of Nasarawa State.

Kadarko lies about 20km west of Yelwata, Guma LGA of Benue State, where more than 200 hapless residents were murdered by the armed bandits, a couple of months ago. Eyewitnesses in the latest incident in Kadarko reported seeing “Fulani bandits with sophisticated guns and matches, on the night of 19th of August, attack Alima village, A suburb of Kadarko in Keana LGA. The attackers killed Mr. Shapaara and sacked the village of over 500 Tiv farmers,” a middle-aged man who identified himself simply as Apiir, told TheNEWS.

In a telephone interview with our correspondent, Philip Nong’o, President of the Nasarawa State chapter of Mdzough u Tiv, a social cultural association of the Tiv people, said the suspected killers now control the bushes and kill without fear or let: “In fact, Kadarko, Kwara in Keana LGA, and Doka district in Doma LGA became safe heavens for bandits and kidnappers. My people are denied access to their villages by bandits and kidnappers, as they are being kidnapped and killed incessantly if they try to force their way to their houses or farms,” he said, noting the helplessness that Tiv farmers face in accessing and working on their farms.

Nong’o therefore called on the government to urgently find a way of ending the killings, many of which he says have gone unreported. “I am calling on the security operatives to redouble their efforts in combating the criminal activities in our area, arrest and prosecute the perpetrators of this massive existential violence and return my people(Tiv) back to their various villages. This should be followed up with the provision of security to protect their lives and properties, some of which have already been destroyed. Better yet, the government can support the victims to start life afresh.