Herders resume attacks on Abavo, kidnap woman, injure 3 vigilante members

ASABA— Suspected herdsmen, weekend, resumed attacks on Abavo in Ika South Local Government Area, LGA, of Delta State, kidnapping a female farmer and inflicting severe bullet injuries on three members of the community’s vigilante team.

The injured victims, it was gathered, were part of a vigilante group established to provide security for farmers in the Oyoko quarter of the community, following a series of incessant attacks by herdsmen in the area.

Speaking on the development yesterday, President General of the Abavo community, Pastor Justin Onyeibe, said the kidnapped woman and her husband were working on their farmland when the herdsmen struck.

He said: “The husband and wife were on the farm when they sighted the herdsmen, so they had to run for their lives. Unfortunately, the woman couldn’t run fast enough. The man managed to escape, but they captured the wife.”

“Yesterday (Saturday), our people were in the bush searching for her, but somehow, the herdsmen ambushed and attacked our vigilante members. As I speak to you, one of them has been referred to a hospital in Asaba.”

Noting that the other two injured members were taken to a different medical facility, he added: “Every day, the vigilante members are in the bush from morning to evening. That’s why we haven’t had any attacks in the past six months—until now.”

Onyeibe stated that no contact had yet been established with the kidnapped woman’s family, as she did not own a phone.

A source who requested anonymity said: “In response to the frequent herdsmen attacks, each of the 13 quarters in Abavo formed separate vigilante groups, tasked with protecting their respective farmlands.

“Just yesterday (Saturday), the group guarding the bushes in the Oyoko quarters was attacked. At the end of the day, three vigilante members were injured.”

When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer of the Delta State Command, Mr. Bright Edafe, confirmed the attack.

However, he could not confirm whether the assailants were indeed herdsmen