Description

On January 24, rampaging gunmen\kidnappers suspected to be Fulani herders abducted three police officers detailed to respond to a distress call in Delta State.

The authorities drafted the police officers at a nipping point in Ohoror community, Ughelli North Local Government Area to rescue one Moses Progress, who raised the alarm after alleged cattlemen robbed him while performing a sacrifice to the gods of the River under a bridge.

The Police played down the kidnap, but weeks later, deployed police officers from the Force Headquarters, Abuja, and Delta State Police Command to rescue the three officers.

Unfortunately, the killer-herders ambushed and killed nine of the police officers on a rescue mission at Agadama community. They abducted over 15 others. One police officer succeeded in escaping from the herdsmen.

Again, the Police made light of the impudence but tension escalated in Port-Avwon, Ohoror, Agadama in Uwherun Kingdom, Ekiugbo, and other affected communities, all in Ughelli North local government area with the latest recovery of the decomposing corpses of police officers.

A combined team of security agents and the local vigilantes in Ughelli North local government area recovered the remains of six slaughtered police officers drafted from the Intelligence Response Team, IRT, Abuja, Police Mobile Force, PMF, 51 Oghara, and Anti-Kidnapping Squad, Asaba.

Saturday Vanguard investigations show that the epidemic of kidnapping by suspected Fulani herdsmen in the state is not restricted to the Uwherun Kingdom, but they seem to have a strong foothold in the area.

Last December and early this year, ransom-demanding Fulani kidnappers took hostages in Abraka, Ethiope –East local government area; Ukwuani and Ndokwa West local government areas; Abavo clan – Ika North East local government area; and other local government areas.

In the Abavo clan only, they abducted six persons, including the Divisional Police Officer, DPO, in the area, asking for and taking ransom before they freed them.