FARMERS, HERDSMEN GUN BATTLE: Reps want FG to deploy troops in Delta

Nigerian House of Representatives has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to deploy soldiers to Ossissai community in Delta State to dislodge armed herdsmen who have engaged the people in a gun battle.

Youths in Umunor community in Ossissa Kingdom, Ndokwa East Local Government Area of Delta State on Monday reportedly engaged the marauding herdsmen in a fierce gun battle.

Ossissai, House of Reps member (PDP, Delta State) on Wednesday in a motion on Urgent Matters of Public Importance, raised the troubling issue at the House plenary and the House unanimously adopted the motion.

Ossissai stated that the herdsmen had laid siege on the community since October 22, 2016, adding that the latest between 3pm and 6pm on Tuesday had several members of the community injured and some killed, while property worth hundreds of millions of naira were devastated.

According to him, the protracted and coordinated nature of the attacks involved use of sophisticated weapons against defenceless locals. He said in the last nine days, that there had been indiscriminate shooting of people, kidnapping of children, raping of women, looting of property and burning of houses by the herdsmen.

Read also: Anarchy as Delta community engages herdsmen in gun battle

He also said that within the last three years, armed herdsmen had carried out similar attacks in Ogume, Onicha-Ukwuani and Obinomba, among other communities, in the Ndokwa/Ukwuani Federal Constituency of the state.

He frowned that despite the havoc the herdsmen have been causing in the area, that the Federal Government was yet to do anything to stop them or identify and prosecute their sponsors in order to avoid anarchy.

Speaker Yakubu Dogara in his response, called on the Inspector-General of Police to urgently secure and maintain peace in Ossissai community.

He then instructed the Committees on Legislative Compliance and Public Safety and National Security to see that there is prompt implementation of the House’s resolutions and report back within two weeks.

By Ebere Ndukwu …

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