Residents of Oganenigu, which was mostly affected have relocated to neighbouring towns like Anyigba, Egume and other areas for their safety.
This was just as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state blamed the state government for the attacks on the communities, which has left over 30 people dead.
The party, in a statement, said that Governor Yahaya Bello’s open invitation to the herdsmen and the setting up of cattle colonies in the state without adequate security measures put in place caused the killings.
Findings on Friday showed that some of the affected communities have become ghost areas as people fled for safety.
The Oganenigwu Community Development Association through its spokesperson, Joshua Idakwo, said on Friday that over 200 people had been displaced by the attacks.
The association added that over 50 houses were burnt by the suspected Fulani herdsmen, while people living in villages surrounding Oganenigwu have deserted the communities as they moved to places like Anyigba, Ologba, Etulutekpe, Iyale and others.
“As of now, nobody can tell the exact number of dead people because many families are yet to locate their relatives,” Idakwo said.
He also disclosed that the presence of security agents drafted to the troubled areas was yet to make any impact.
The governor, however, said the violence had been contained and brought under control as police and military operatives had been deployed in the affected areas.
Bello in a statement by his Director General, Media and Publicity, Mr Kingsley Fanwo, said: “The Kogi State government ensured that the military, the police and other relevant security agencies, including members of the Kogi State Vigilance Services were immediately mobilised to the affected areas following the initial reports.
“The violence has since been contained and brought under control. The incident, however, is under investigation, while efforts are ongoing to apprehend the attackers and bring them to justice.
“His Excellency, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, will conduct an on-the-spot assessment of the affected communities today (Friday). He will meet with Security Chiefs and community leaders after which more information will be forthcoming based on available facts.
“The Governor believes nothing compares to the sanctity of human life and that must be protected by all who believes in humanity,” he said.
However, Governor Bello, who was scheduled to visit the troubled communities on Friday did not make it “due to circumstances beyond his control.”
The PDP in a statement by its Director, Research and Documentation, Achadu Dickson, said the governor should explain his role in the killings following his invitation of the herdsmen and ceding of some sections of the state’s land for the establishment of cattle colonies, amidst discontent by the people.
The PDP condemned the gruesome murder of innocent citizens by the herders, saying their action had vindicated the party’s position from the onset that Bello’s action of establishing cattle colonies was an invitation to anarchy.
Commiserating with the families who lost their loved ones, the PDP called for a “further arrest of the crisis by the security agencies as it is one death too many in the country that will do no one any good.”
