By Rasheed Lateef
Tension has intensified in Imoga community, Akoko-Edo Local Government Area of Edo State, after suspected herders reportedly attacked residents and injured four persons during a violent clash linked to rising insecurity in the area.
The incident, which reportedly occurred on Saturday, May 10, followed weeks of tension in the community over allegations of kidnapping and criminal activities allegedly connected to some herders operating within forests around Imoga.
Residents said some of the victims sustained machete injuries during the attack, while one victim reportedly lost two toes.
The development has heightened fears in the agrarian community already battling recurring cases of kidnapping and ransom demands in recent months.
The crisis reportedly escalated after residents identified two suspected kidnappers arrested in April as individuals known within Fulani settlements in the area. Community youths and local vigilantes subsequently mounted pressure on herders occupying camps within surrounding forests to leave the area.
Coordinator of the Movement for the Advancement of Akoko Edo People (MAAP), Dr. Bode Ekundayo, accused criminal elements operating from forest camps of terrorising residents through abductions and ransom attacks.
According to him, residents became frustrated after repeated kidnapping incidents, including a case in which eight persons were abducted and ransom demands allegedly reached N100 million.
Ekundayo said community members had earlier handed over suspected kidnap suspects arrested in the area to the police for investigation.
He appealed to the Edo State Government and security agencies to strengthen security presence in the area to prevent further violence.
Reacting to the development during a press briefing in Benin City, Edo State Commissioner of Police, Monday Agbonika, said the command planned to strengthen community policing through neighbourhood security structures.
According to the police commissioner, the neighbourhood watch initiative would complement the operations of the police and other security agencies in affected communities.
