Airstrike kills 27 Herdsmen… Nasarawa Police Command

The Nasarawa State Police Command has acknowledged that an airstrike in the state’s Doma Local Government Area have resulted in the deaths of 27 herdsmen.

The incident happened as the herders were loading their cows that had been seized by the Benue state government onto a vehicle, according to preliminary investigation, said DSP Ramhan Nansel, the Command’s Public Relations Officer (PPRO).

The herdsmen had traveled to Benue to settle fines for the release of cattle that had been seized under the state’s Anti-Open Grazing and Ranching Law and held by the Benue Livestock Guards.

“While they were loading some of the cows into vehicles on Tuesday night in Kwatiri village, a border community between Benue and Nasarawa, something like a drone or an aircraft hovered in the air and shelled them.”

The police spokesperson said the Commissioner of Police, Maiyaki Mohammed-Baba, had visited the scene of the incident and also attended the burial of the deceased alongside the State Deputy Governor, Dr Emmanuel Akabe and some traditional rulers.

There is also an ongoing investigation to uncover those behind the airstrike attack. Policemen have also been deployed to the area to prevent the breakdown of law and order.