Gov. Godwin Obaseki of Edo state

Gov. Godwin Obaseki of Edo on Wednesday evening visited and condoled the families of two women who were allegedly murdered by suspected Fulani Herdsmen in Ewu on May 22, in the Esan-Central Local Government Area.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the deceased are: Mrs Christiana Ariu of Eko-Ujeme quarters and Mrs Matina Emoyon of Uzogolo quarters, both in Ewu.

The governor said that security had been beefed up in the area and in neighbouring communities stretching to Kogi, in order to avoid the occurrence of similar incidents in the area.

Obaseki said that the ravaging activities of Fulani herdsmen had become a threat to national security, adding that the Federal Government was doing something about it.

The governor said that the state was currently working out its modalities to curtail the activities of criminals who disguised as herdsmen in the state.

He urged communities to avail the government with intelligence information about security threats in their areas.

“We are coming up with certain measures to prevent what has just happened from happening again in the future.

“We will be relying on every community to give us information on time, so that we can curb such situations before it happens again.

“If we had known that people have been in the bush with their cattle for a few weeks, we would have dislodged them from there.

“If it is to feed their cattle, then we will come up with methods where anybody who brings cattle can take them to a particular place, where everyone knows that they are there and the cattle cannot roam around,’’ the governor said.

Obaseki assured the families of the bereaved of the state government support.

Speaking on behalf of the Ariu family, Mr Sydney Ikhajiagbe, said that late Ariu was allegedly murdered by Fulani herdsmen while she was working on her farmland.

Ikhajiagbe said that footprints of cattle were traced to the spot where the deceased was raped and murdered in her farm.

He said members of the community now lived in fear, after the incident.

“We are so scared about our lives that so many of us have abandoned their farmlands.

“Security should be beefed up in this community and in the neighbouring communities as well,’’ he said.

NAN recalls that the incidents happened on May 22.