LAFIA — At least three persons have been confirmed dead, while more than 45 others sustained injuries following a violent attack on Akunza-Ashigye community near Assakio, in the Lafia East Development Area of Lafia Local Government Area, Nasarawa State.
An eyewitness and resident of the community, Mr. Jonathan Adamu, confirmed the incident in a telephone interview with journalists, describing the attack as sudden and brutal.
According to Adamu, the violence may be linked to a long-standing and unresolved conflict between Fulani herdsmen and the host community, a crisis that reportedly claimed lives on both sides in 2024.
He alleged that the latest attack may have been triggered by a recent incident involving two Fulani herdsmen who were returning from a cattle market in Lafia on a motorcycle. The herdsmen were reportedly ambushed near a bridge shortly after leaving Akunza-Ashigye community, resulting in the death of one of them.
Adamu further claimed that the surviving herdsman allegedly identified one of the attackers by his dreadlocks and concluded that the assailants were from Akunza-Ashigye community, a development believed to have prompted the retaliatory attack carried out later that night.
Confirming the incident, the Nasarawa State Police Command, through its spokesperson, SP Raham Nansel, said three deaths had so far been officially recorded.
“I can confirm that two men died on the spot, while another later died at the hospital,” Nansel stated, adding that investigations were ongoing.
He disclosed that the Commissioner of Police had ordered the massive deployment of security personnel to the area to restore calm and prevent further violence.
The police assured residents that efforts were being intensified to apprehend those responsible for the attack and to prevent any reprisal actions.
Credit: Vanguard
