The Police Command in Nasarawa State has confirmed the alleged killing of 27 pastoralists in an ‘airstrike’ in Doma Local Government Area of the State.
DSP Ramhan Nansel, the Command’s Public Relations Officer (PPRO), confirmed the development and casualty figure to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) 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.
He says in the process of loading some of the cows into vehicles on Tuesday night in Kwatiri village, a border community between Benue and Nasarawa, a drone sound or an aircraft hovered in the air and shelled them.
Nansel said the Commissioner of Police, Maiyaki Mohammed-Baba, had visited the scene of the incident and also attended the burial of the deceased alongside the State Deputy Governor, Dr Emmanuel Akabe and some traditional rulers.
He said investigation was ongoing to unravel those behind the act. adding that the command had deployed policemen to the area to prevent the breakdown of law and order.
Gov. Abdullahi Sule had since condemned the dastardly act, saying that he was in touch with his Benue counterpart over the matter as security agencies continued their investigations.
