The Police Command in Akwa Ibom State says it has launched a manhunt for attackers of a herder in Etoi village in Uyo Local Government Area of the state.
The Command’s Public Relations Officer, Timfon John, stated this in a statement in Uyo on Saturday.
“The Police Command in Akwa Ibom has launched a full-scale investigation and manhunt for a group of individuals involved in a conspiracy, assault, and stealing,” Ms John, a deputy superintendent of police, said.
According to her, the police received a distress call from a man in Etoi village on 11 September, at approximately 5:30 p.m., who reported that a herder was being held hostage in the bush and that unknown persons had killed one of his cows.
“Upon receiving the information, operatives were immediately dispatched to the scene,” she said.
Ms John said the suspects fled upon sighting the police, leaving behind six sacks of cow meat.
According to her, the herder had managed to escape with the rest of his herd.
“When Prince Ahmed Aliyu, the Secretary to the Cattle Dealers Association of Akwa Ibom was contacted, he identified the slaughtered cow as belonging to Alhaji Siddiki Makaka.”
The command’s spokesperson said the six sacks of recovered meat have since been handed over to the owner.
Ms John said that a discreet investigation was ongoing to ensure the perpetrators were brought to justice.
She reiterated the command commitment to protecting the lives and property of all citizens and urged anyone with information related to the incident to come forward and assist the police.
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The then-Governor Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom State, in September 2021, signed into law a bill prohibiting open grazing of cattle in the oil-rich state. However, it is common to see herders grazing their cattle openly and sometimes straying into people’s farmlands, despite the ban.
Apart from Akwa Ibom, Rivers, Bayelsa, Oyo, Ekiti, Abia, Lagos, and Enugu states had enacted a law banning open grazing as of September 2021.
(NAN)
