No less than six persons have been reportedly killed in separate clashes between farmers and herdsmen in Yola South Local Government Area of Adamawa State.

Premium Times reports that the first incident occurred on Wednesday when some herdsmen damaged a farm in Sangere, a suburb of Yola, the Adamawa State capital.

According to sources who witnessed the incident, a security guard, Gibson Nathan, who was engaged by the owner of the farm, challenged the herders for encroaching on the farm.

The herdsmen responded by “attacking and killing him,” a source, who is also a resident of the area, said.

The source added that the herders “hacked Nathan to death with their sharp axes beyond recognition before leaving the scene”

In the same vein, four members of the same family were reportedly attacked and killed in their farm by some herdsmen on Friday at Tudun-Hassan Village, adjacent to the popular Malkohi IDP’s Camp also in Yola South Local Government Area.

Trouble began for the farmers when a group of herdsmen led their cattle into the farm and began destroying the farm products.

“By the time they asked the rearers what informed their illegal action, the next thing was physical assault using dangerous weapons which resulted to their untimely deaths,” a witness, Baba Abdul, said.

He alleged that a policeman who was living close to the farm “rushed to offer help but was also killed by the herdsmen.”

There was yet another attack at Tashan Jinga Village also in Yola South Local Government as a group of herdsmen led their cattle into a farm

Residents, however, said the farmers sent a distress call to Agro-Rangers unit of the Nigeria Security And Civil Defence Corps,NSCDC, Adamawa State command.

The NSCDC team who arrived the scene were allegedly attacked with poisonous arrows by the herdsmen.

A witness said the bullets fired by the security agents appeared not to penetrate the herdsmen, adding “the situation made the defence corps to retreat back for re-enforcement but one officer had already sustained serious injury as a result of multiple cuts he received.”

He also said “the Toyota Hilux vehicle used in the operation was badly smashed by the herdsmen while one of their rifle was carted away by the herdsmen in the quagmire”.

Confirming the incident, spokesperson of the NSCDC in the state, Suleiman Baba, said:

“It was true that our men on rescue operation were attacked by some herdsmen along Yola area on Saturday.

He said: “The Agro-Rangers were ambushed on their way to the troubled farm. They (herdsmen) laid attack even before our men can take positions.

“During this fierce battle, two officers were injured and one was beaten with sticks and macheted and is being hospitalised at Yola Specialist Hospital.”