Ismail Adebayo in Birnin Kebbi
No fewer than five herdsmen have been reportedly killed and 15,000 cattle, camels, and sheep rustled at a pastoral settlement in Maiyama Local Government Area of Kebbi State.
According to a local account, the rustlers in their dozens invaded the Fulani settlement on motorcycles and attacked anybody they sighted ruthlessly with heavy weapons forcing the herdsmen to flee for their lives.
One of the survivors, Bello Umar told journalists that their attackers were men and women wielding sophisticated weapons. He added that the women among them started the shooting that claimed the lives of some of the herdsmen.
"Immediately they came to our settlement they started shooting and killing anyone they sighted. They stole over 15, 000 cattle, sheep, and camels from us.
"We are still searching for some of our people after the incident. We cannot tell if they are alive or dead.
Not all our attackers are Fulani.
"Some soldiers who heard about the attack came to see how they could help us but those who came to attack us had left with our cattle before they arrived.
"We were rescued by some members of the vigilante group who saw us wandering in the bush", one of the survivors said.
While addressing journalists, the Director General of the castle breeders association (MACBAN), Bello Gotomo described the attack as the worst of its kind in the history of cattle rustling in Northern Nigeria. He called on the government to help them recover the stolen cattle as they are still within the bother of Kebbi/Zamfara.
