Gunmen attack Kogi community, injure many, render scores homeless
Story from Rabi’atu, Lokoja
Unknown gunmen have attacked Ewune-Egume village in Dekina Local Government Area of Kogi State, injuring dozens of residents and destroying property worth millions of Naira.
An eyewitness, who craved for anonymity, told Neptune Prime correspondent that a group of young men stormed the community in trucks and started shooting sporadically, causing chaos which led to the entire people in the village to abandon their property and took to their heels for safety.
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It was gathered that on hearing gunshots, the beaded chief of the community, the Ochai Onu-Egume, Chief Olema Akpali fainted and was hospitalised in one of the clinics in the area.
A visit to the community shows how household appliances, water tanks and houses were destroyed even as the arsonists drank all the beers and beverages in some restaurants and destroyed empty bottles.
The community leader, Mr Matthew Audu, said the bandits/ thugs invaded the community in five trucks with AK 47 rifles and went away with some domestic animals, 200 jericans of palm oil, 13 motorcycles and set ablaze other motorcycles while other valuable property were destroyed.
Audu said that people of the community had reported several threats by this group to the Divisional Police Office Egume and their incessant invasions on Ewune farms.
He added that the attackers were suspected to be a group of saw millers working for an Ejule man in Ofu local government area of the state.
According to him, the alleged saw millers of Ejule were confronted over the wanton and indiscriminate felling of their Iroko and economic trees, they allegedly claimed that the government of governor Yahaya Bello was aware of their activities in the forest.
It was also gathered that these groups of people have been invading the community at will, drink beer in restaurants freely, kill domestic animals whenever they were hungry and move away from the community unchallenged.
Some members of the community suspected that the posting on Facebook of the recent invasion of this group who were on a free drink at a restaurant in the community, that went viral on social media may have been responsible for this attack.
In his reaction, the chairman of the security committee of Egume community, Hon. Gowon Omale condemned the destruction at Ewune-Egume community, describing it as an act of terrorism.
He said efforts must be intensified to forward the matter to the authority concern to avoid future occurance.
When contacted, the Kogi State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP William Aya said, he was not aware of the attack but promised to find out from the divisional police office Egume as at the time of filling this report.
