Police Command in Nasarawa State has confirmed the alleged killing of 27 pastoralists in an ‘airstrike’ in Doma Local Government Area of the country.
Ramhan Nansel, the deputy superintendent of police and Command Public Relations Officer (PPRO), confirmed the development and casualty figures to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Lafia, the state capital.
Mr. Nansel said preliminary investigations showed that the pastoralists on Tuesday, went to Benue to pay a fine to release the cattle seized by the Benue Livestock Guard enforcing the State Anti-Open Grazing and Livestock Law.
He said: “While they were loading some cattle into a vehicle on Tuesday night in Kwatiri village, a border community between Benue and Nasarawa, it was like a drone or a plane hovering in the air and was thrown.”
Mr Nansel said the Commissioner of Police, Maiyaki Mohammed-Baba, had visited the scene of the incident and also attended the burial of the deceased together with the State Deputy Governor, Emmanuel Akabe, and some traditional rulers.
He said investigations were ongoing to unmask those behind the act, adding that the command had deployed the police to the area to prevent breakdown of law and order.
Governor Abdullahi Sule has since condemned the misdeeds, saying he is in touch with his Benue counterparts on the matter as security agencies continue investigations.
He urged people to remain calm and not take the law into their own hands.
The Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) also condemned the alleged killing and called for a thorough investigation to uncover those behind the attack.
MACBAN, in a statement made available to NAN by its National Public Relations Officer, Muhammad Nura, said “this is the third time we have experienced such an incident.”
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He said that apart from the casualties, livestock were also killed in the attack.
“MACBAN describes such actions as not only reprehensible but also war crimes
The Geneva Convention prohibits the killing of livestock.
“We ask the authorities to investigate this terror, punish the perpetrators and ensure that this kind of thing never happens again,” said Mr. Nura.
(AT)
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