Members of the Uduophori community in Patani Local Government Area of Delta State on Tuesday barricaded the East-West road in protest against the amputation of a 28-year-old resident by suspected killer herdsmen said to have besieged the locality.
For several hours, the protesters halted vehicular movement from Bomadi and other neighboring coastal communities as they laid siege on the only access road.
It was gathered that the victim, Mr Freedom Akpodiete, a commercial motorcycle rider and father of two, was attacked with a machete by the suspected herders while he was conveying a passenger to the Uduophori community.
Angered by the development, the protesters, displaying leaves and placards called on the authorities to wade in, as a matter of urgency, as they lamented the hardship they are going through in the hands of the invading herdsmen.
They averred that many residents have been stopped from going to their farms as a result of the recurring attacks from the herders.
Inscriptions on their placards included ‘President Tinubu, rescue us from Fulani herdsmen killings;’ ‘Come and rescue us from herdsmen bondage;’ ‘Fulani leave us alone, stop raping our wives, women and daughters;’ ‘Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, come and rescue us from herdsmen bondage,’ among others.
The President-General of the Uduophori community, Mr ThankGod Ado, while addressing journalists on behalf of the protesters, expressed grave concern over what he referred to as the recurring attacks on residents by killer herdsmen.
He said, “We are protesting as a result of this yearly and regular presence of herdsmen in our community and forests.
“What prompted this particular protest was the recent attack on one of our brothers who had one of his hands amputated by suspected Fulani herdsmen after he was dragged into the forest.
“We are not happy and we are saying ‘enough is enough.’ As peace-loving and law-abiding people, we do not want a situation where the government would sit down to allow these invading herdsmen to kill us.
“Our wives can no longer go to their farms because of the incessant attacks, rape and ransom payment.
“Also, our planted cassava are uprooted and given to their cows. At times, they would come to the community to burgle stores of petty traders and cart away foodstuffs.
“Whenever they accost our people on their farms, they would send their husbands home to go and bring money, and before they return, the women would have been raped.
“We say ‘no’ to continued harassment from these herdsmen, and we are calling on the federal, state, and local governments to come to our rescue from these terrible people,” he added.
