Terrorists or Nigerian Air Force? Police begin manhunt for killers of 27pastoralists

he Nasarawa Police Command has confirmed the killing of 27 pastoralists in an ‘airstrike’ in the Doma Local Government Area of the State.

DSP Ramhan Nansel, the Command’s Public Relations Officer (PPRO), confirmed the development and casualty figures on Thursday in Lafia.

Nansel said that preliminary investigation revealed that the pastoralists had on Tuesday, gone to Benue to pay fines for the release of cattle impounded by the Benue Livestock Guards implementing the State’s Anti-Open Grazing and Ranching Law.

“While they were loading some of the cows into vehicles on Tuesday night in Kwatiri village, a border community between Benue and Nasarawa, something like a drone or an aircraft hovered in the air and shelled them.”

According to Nansel, the Commissioner of Police, Maiyaki Mohammed-Baba, visited the scene of the incident and attended the burial of the deceased alongside the State Deputy Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Akabe, and some traditional rulers.

He stated that an investigation was underway to identify those responsible for the act and that the command had deployed police officers to the area to prevent a breakdown in law and order.

Governor Abdullahi Sule has since condemned the heinous act, saying he was in contact with his Benue counterpart about it while security agencies conducted their 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 full investigation to unravel 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 are experiencing such happenings.”

He said that apart from the victims, livestock was also killed in the attack.

“MACBAN describes the action as not only condemnable but a war crime under the Geneva Convention that prohibits the wanton killing of livestock.

“We call on the authorities to investigate this terror, punish the culprits and be sure that incidents like this will not happen again,” the Nura said

SOURCE: PM NEWS

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