Cattle rustlers reportedly kill herdsman

A Fulani herdsman has been reportedly murdered by hoodlums suspected to be cattle rustlers in Emu-Ebendo community, Ndokwa-West Local Government Area of Delta state.

According to a report by Punch Newspaper, the suspected cattle rustlers not only gruesomely murdered the herdsman but also stole two of his cows.

The corpse of the herdsmen, whose name was given as Haruna Mohammed, was later thrown in a shallow river where it was pinned down by a large trunk to prevent it from floating.

While Mohammed's murder is reported to have generated apprehension between herdsmen and residents, security operative have been deployed to the community to prevent a reprisal attack.

A source who spoke to Punch said: “The herdsman was attacked on Friday evening by the rustlers while trying to steal his cows when he resisted them. They were two herdsmen that went for the grazing but one of them went to buy food, before he returned his colleague had been killed.

“It took us two days before we could discover the corpse tied to a heavy wood inside the river. We traced him to the river bank after his colleagues waited for his return on Friday. The next day (Saturday), his colleague reported the case at police station in Abbi.”

The state’s Police Public Relations Officer, Andrew Aniamaka, has confirmed the killing but not with much information.