20 Killed, 70 Houses Razed As Fulani Herdsmen Attack In Nasarawa

It was indeed a weekend of tears for residents Arikya and Anshangwa villages in Lafia Local Government Area of Nasarawa State as some gunmen believed to be Fulani herdsmen killed not less than 20 people and set about 70 houses ablaze on Friday, September 26, 2014 during an attack.

A report by Punch revealed that many residents were displaced in the attack which occurred around 11 pm.

Meanwhile, this incident occurred less than six days after the over 200 Fulani invaders attacked Gidan Gambo, 30 kilometers away from Lafia, the state capital, killing 10 people, setting over 50 houses ablaze and rendering hundreds of people homeless.

Luck ran out of one of the rebels, Abdullahi Buldi, as the youths got hold of him during the attack at Gidan Gambo. He confessed that they were hired by some well-known "Alago" in the state to attack Eggon communities in the state in a serial order.

The Punch's source, whose identity was not disclosed, said the attack at Arikya and Ashangwa was a retaliation attack following the capture of Buldi by Eggon youths.

One of the eye witnesses of the incident, Alaku Alumbugu, who eventually fled to Lafia, said the Fulani attackers shot at irregular intervals in all routes.

"As I speak to you I don't know the whereabouts of my family members. The attackers were too many and they were shooting in all directions. I took to my heels," the eyewitness said.

A source who pleaded anonymity while relaying the incident to Punch correspondents said he saw some of the displaced residents taking refuge at the headquarters of Eggon Local Government Area of the state with their bags and other valuables on their heads while the mothers among them had their babies strapped to their back.

However, confirming the incident in a telephone interview, the Police Public Relations Officer of Nasarawa State Command, Ismaila Numan, refuted the claims of recording 20 deaths and admitted that only few houses were burnt.

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.... The Forbidden Fruits After that day, the boys never went to the orange tree again and the story that it was a forbidden fruit was retold and everyone believed it, even the four boys. Though they knew it was not the forbidden fruits of the Bible but Mr. Jacob's forbidden fruits. Garba was angry when he learnt that it was Bawa who had told on him. They all began to avoid Bawa. But all these had been over thirty-five years ago. They grown and become men. Garba had turned out to be the star of them all, having excelled in school and had gone to Lagos and then to England. He returned to Dongongari and settled down. Now all the boys who went to the St. Aquinas now have children. But they all still sit together on weekends and talk of the past. Mr. Jacob and the forbidden fruits was always an exciting topic and they would laugh. "Only God know where the white master is today," Sule would say with nostalgia. "Perhaps long dead and buried," Tanko would say. "But he was a terror," Bawa reminded. He had succeeded. his father as the tobacco merchant in ,Jogongan even though he was once a banker. Garba would laugh. "Come to think of it, he was a good man. The lesson of the forbidden fruits was that of obedience. We ought to have obeyed him as our elder and teacher," he said: They all agreed with him. The End .... TO BE CONTINUED TOMORROW...JOIN US TOMORROW FOR MORE ON THIS FUNNY AND EXCITING STORY }}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}