Gunmen kill several in reprisal attack on Kogi communities
Armed men attacked three communities in Kupa Kingdom, Kogi State, killing several residents in a suspected reprisal for the killing of a herder by local vigilantes.
Several people were feared killed on Thursday when armed men reportedly attacked three communities in Kupa Kingdom — Abugi, Kuchinda and Mikugi — in Lokoja Local Government Area of Kogi State in an alleged reprisal attack.
Residents said the incident began around 8am when a herder, suspected of being a cattle rustler, was shot and killed during a heated altercation with local vigilantes at a checkpoint. “Few hours after the checkpoint incident between a herder and vigilantes, armed hoodlums invaded the town, shooting sporadically from different directions,” a resident said.
“In the process, several residents were killed, with many others sustaining injuries, as the armed hoodlums attacked streets, markets and even the palace of our paramount traditional ruler,” the resident added. A son of the Mayaki of Kupa, Prince Aliyu Isah Kabir, who is the APC Youth Leader of Kupa South Ward, was confirmed to be among the victims.
The Lokoja Local Government Chairman, Comrade Abdullahi Adamu, confirmed the incident and said security agencies had been charged to arrest those responsible. The Kogi State Government condemned the attack, describing it as tragic, senseless and unacceptable. In a statement, the government said: “The Kogi State Government condemns in the strongest terms both the killing of the unarmed herder and the subsequent reprisal attack.”
The cycle of violence in Kogi is a microcosm of a broader national crisis. A herder is killed by vigilantes. Armed men retaliate, killing innocent residents. The government condemns the violence and promises action. The cycle continues. The killing of Prince Aliyu Isah Kabir, a political figure, adds a new dimension to the conflict.
This echoes the 2018 farmer-herder clashes in Benue State, which also involved reprisal attacks and political casualties. The mechanism then was different, but the result was the same: a cycle of violence that the state struggles to break.
The winners: none. The losers: the families of the victims; the Kupa Kingdom, which has lost its traditional ruler’s son; and the Nigerian state, which has failed to prevent the cycle of reprisal violence.
Bottom Line: A reprisal attack in Kogi has claimed several lives, including a prince. The violence is a cycle. The government promises action. The question is whether it will break the cycle or just condemn it.