By Mariam Aleshinloye Agboola, Jos
No fewer than five persons are feared dead and 413 cows rustled from herdsmen in Yelwa and Dorowa communities in Shendam and Barkin Ladi local government areas respectively in Plateau State. It was gathered that the armed cow thieves got to Yelwa village at about 4 p.m. on Sunday and shot indiscriminately to scare away the villagers and make away with the cattle.
The villagers, who ran for safety, later returned to discover that five of their people had been gunned down and over 200 cows stolen by the invaders, who moved towards Langtang south.
Confirming the incident, the Chairman of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), Plateau State chapter, Alhaji Haruna Boro Hussaini said: “It is true that five of our people were killed and they made away with 278 cattle.”
Alhaji Hussain said the matter was reported to the soldiers stationed at Yelwa, adding that “the soldiers said the matter has overwhelmed them, so they could not do anything.”
He said apart from killing his members, the thieves went away with another 135 cattle at Dorowa village on Sunday evening.
He said MACBAN was saddened by the repeated attacks and killings of its members as well as rustling of their cattle, describing the thefts as a major setback for the course of peace in the state.
When contacted, the STF spokesman, Captain Ikedichi Iweha, who confirmed the two incidents, said the the security outfit would work with Miyetti Allah to recover the rustled cattle, adding that those stolen in Dorowa had been recovered and some arrests made.
