Rampaging Fulani herdsmen, armed with machetes, bows and arrows, Sunday afternoon, sacked Polido village in Billiri local government area of Gombe State as they killed a man and injured four others before setting over 200 houses in the village on fire.
The herdsmen also destroyed food crops as they released their cattle to destroy the villagers’ farmlands
Narrating his ordeal in the hands of the bandits, a victim of the attack, Dahiru Ajiya, who is currently on admission at the Billiri General Hospital, alleged that the herdsmen stormed the village around 2pm on Sunday with their herds of cattle .
Ajiya further alleged that his uncle Ayuba Saleh, who was on his farm at the time the bandits arrived, was killed as all the crops in his farm were destroyed.
Disclosing that four villagers who tried to confront the herdsmen were injured with bows and arrows, Ajiya said those injured were rushed to the Federal Teaching Hospital Gombe for treatment.
The village head, Magaji Buba, and head of the Polido community, Yakubu Abba, lamented that a detachment of the Mobile Police Force detailed to protect the people was nowhere to be found at the time of the incident.
While calling for calm among his people, the paramount ruler of Billiri and Mai Tangle, Dr. Abdu Maisheru II, said the attack was the handiwork of thieves.
As at the time of filing this report on Monday, the traumatised residents had been Polido have been evacuated to Billiri town and other surrounding villages.
A member of the State House of Assembly representing the area, Honourable Ibrahim Ayala, was said to have mobilised urgent relief materials to the villagers as he described the destruction as heartbreaking and unimaginable.
