No fewer than eight people have been killed following a clash between farmers and herders in Gulma town, Argungu Local Government Area of Kebbi State.
The violence reportedly erupted after a herder allegedly stabbed a farmer to death on his farmland, triggering a reprisal attack by members of the farming community on Fulani settlements in the area.
Confirming the incident, the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, SP Bashir Usman, said the clash occurred at about 3 p.m. on Monday and claimed eight lives.
“The incident was a reprisal attack following the stabbing of a farmer by a herder. We are currently in control of the situation, and eight people lost their lives,” he said.
Usman said security operatives rescued four persons during the violence and took them to hospital for treatment, adding that they had since been discharged.
He said normalcy had been restored in the area, while security personnel had been deployed to maintain law and order.
The police spokesman urged residents to remain peaceful, cooperate with security agencies and avoid taking the law into their own hands.
A source familiar with the incident said the crisis stemmed from a dispute between the deceased farmer and the herder over a cow whose leg was allegedly broken while the farmer was trying to chase the animals away from his farmland.
According to the source, the herder later confronted the farmer over the incident, and during the altercation allegedly stabbed him to death, sparking retaliatory attacks that escalated into communal violence.
