Residents flee as armed men invade Adamawa community

Nigeria’s Punch Newspaper is reporting that many residents of Shuwa-Kalaa village in the Hong Local Government Area of Adamawa State have been feared dead following an attack on the community by suspected herdsmen.

Resident say, heavily armed herdsmen invaded their village, shooting indiscriminately and the situation forced residents fled their homes after sighting the herdsmen “but some were unlucky to escape the gunfire”, the eyewitness said.

Another resident, Sani Ahmed, said since the commencement of the harvest season, herdsmen had been terrorising the area.

He said, “This morning (Saturday), they (herdsmen) attacked and robbed a man who went to the farm to bring home his harvest. He returned and had barely informed the community of what happened when we saw the armed herdsmen coming from all areas.

“Our local vigilante men quickly mobilised and put up resistance and were able to repel them. But there were casualties on both sides. I cannot ascertain the number of dead persons.”

Ahmed said the military had also intervened in chasing away the herdsmen from the community.

The Adamawa Police Command spokesperson, DSP Suleiman Nguroje, however, could not confirm the incident, saying he needed time to get the report from the Divisional Police Officer in charge of the Hong Local Government Area.