According to reports, no less than 22 people were killed by alleged IJAW militants who allegedly invaded seven agricultural communities in the local government area of the southwest Ovia in the state of Edo.
Daily Post gathered that several others suffered varying degrees of injuries, while agricultural buildings and products worth several million Naira were burned by the assailants.
According to reports, the incident occurred on Friday, February 21, 2025.
The affected communities include Marindi, Gbelemontin Domiju, Kola Village, Taiye Camp, Eto Camp, Dipe, Bala Dele and Thousand.
Daily Post learned that the communities were predominantly inhabited by farmers from various ethnic origins, including Yoruba, Hausa, Igbo and Benin.
A source that spoke about anonymity alleged that the assailants, suspected of being IJAW militants of the nearby streams, broke into the morning settlements in the morning armed with firearms and other weapons.
He said the attackers unleashed terror shooting indiscriminately, burning the houses and destroying properties, including motorcycles and vehicles.
He added that the incident had forced residents to flee from mass communities, abandoning their homes and living.
Another source claimed that the attack was a retaliation for the murder of an alleged cocoa thief by local guards used by farmers.
He said the incident had increased the tensions between farmers and the alleged militants, who had previously been accused of invading the cultivation lands and stealing products.
An eyewitness who visited the scene observed a massive exodus of displaced people who carried their belongings while looking for refuge in safer areas.
He said that many houses had been reduced to ashes, and the agricultural communities that were ever were now resembled ghost peoples.
Speaking with journalists, Igbala Obazuaye, head of the Marindoti community, said they had been cultivating in the area for years, but the problems began when some young people began to demand royalties of them.
According to him: “The problems began in 1998 when some young people began to invade our land, stealing our crops and kidnapping our people, despite the payment of royalties.”
Obazuaye, who suffered gunshot wounds, declared that the assailants invaded the community around 8 am, killing seven people in their alone community.
He, however, requested military protection, the establishment of a local police station and assistance to rebuild his communities.
Also speaking, Nafisat Abdulazeez, a Dipe Community resident, described the experience as a traumatic, asking for the immediate intervention of the Governor of the State of Edo on Monday Okpebholo.
Abdulazeez said about 15 people were killed in the Dipe community, while several others had disappeared.
“They entered our community, shoot and burn houses. They killed 15 people, and many more were injured.
“They even burned my own home, and my family was forced to flee,” he said.
Joseph Otu, a resident of the Marindi and farmer community, refuted the statement that the attack was a community shock, which insisted that it was an assault not caused by the militants who sought to extort and terrorize peaceful farmers.
He also urged the authorities to deploy security forces to safeguard the area, highlighting the important contributions of communities to the state economy through crops such as cocoa, kola nuts and bananas.
For his part, Usman Mukaila de Dipe Community praised the immediate deployment of soldiers of the 4 Nigerian army brigade by Brigade General Ebenezer Oduyebo, asking for the establishment of a permanent military presence in the area.
“We praise the Commander of Brigade 4 of the Nigerian Army, Benin, for the immediate intervention and the deployment of soldiers.
“That has helped to calm the situation for now. If it weren't for him, the rest of the people would have gone. We also thank the governor.
“However, we urge you to establish a permanent military base in this area. We are asking for help; We really need your help. You can see that all our women and children leave, ”he said.
Daily Post recalls that the EDO State Police command had confirmed in the day on the day that seven people were killed and six wounds.
A statement from the command officer of the command, Moses Yamu, said that a preliminary investigation suggested a community shock.
Yamu declared that the agents of the Iguobazuwa Police Division, in collaboration with the Nigerian army and the guards, had evacuated the victims to the hospital, where the injured received treatment.
“The joint operation is ongoing and the situation has been controlled, with the restored normality. However, an investigation into the cause of the clash has begun, ”he said.
He added that the police commissioner in the state, Betty Enekpen Isakpan Otimenyin, had promised that no stone would be left when discovering the circumstances surrounding the unfortunate and avoidable incident.