The Senate has resolved to set up an Ad-hoc Committee to organize a public hearing involving all stakeholders to find a lasting solution to herders and farmers clashes.
Following the adoption of a motion on a matter of urgent importance titled “Urgent Need for Rehabilitation of Agojeju Odo, Ajokpachi, Bagajib, and Bagana, Communities in Omala Local Government Area of Kogi State by Gunmen Attacks and Killings”, Senator Isah Jibrin (APC-Kogi East) said the Omala local government area has been under recurring attacks by gunmen, leading to killings and destruction of properties and farmlands.
According to Jibrin, the attacks and killings had rendered many homeless with no means of sustenance.
It was worrisome, he added, that Agojeju Odo, Ajokpachi Odo, Bagaji, and Bagana communities have been ravaged by gunmen, rendering over 30,000 inhabitants of the communities homeless and leading to exodus of the people to other parts of the state.
He said on April 5, 2024, armed herders invaded the communities, killing 21 innocent citizens, including women and children, in addition to unprecedented destruction of their farm produce.
His words: “Alarmed that on April 30, gunmen attacked Ajokpachi Odo community in Omala LGA, killing no fewer than three persons and rendering the community desolate, with no health facility to cater for the deteriorating health conditions of the survivors.”
The attacks, he elaborated, have resulted in the killing of over 500 citizens, in addition to the wanton destruction of public and private properties worth hundreds of millions of naira.
He said the displaced persons have resolved to return to their ancestral homes, but cannot afford shelters and have no means of sustenance.
He also expressed worry that educational institutions in the communities had been destroyed, with many buildings and other facilities completely burnt down, thereby making it difficult for the children of the affected communities to access educational facilities.