Agatu Crisis: Police IG denies reported 300 deaths

The Inspector General of Police denied the report during a visit to Benue State, where he said he went to Agatu to see things for himself.

Nigerian Inspector General of Police, Solomon Arase has said denied the reported number of deaths recorded in the clash between Agatu people and Fulanis in Benue State.

In a recent report by Daily Post, Arase said that the number of people said to have been killed during the recent clash was over exaggerated though he refused to disclose the actual number.

Read: Fulani herdsmen allegedly kill 8 in fresh attack

In the words of the IG, “I was around, I travelled to Makurdi, I did not see where 300 people were buried. If you kill, you don’t just bury; you must take the corpse to the Police station before you bury, we don’t have that number of people”. He however did not give the official casualty figure."

The IG further disclosed that the command had completed plans to unveil the Metro Patrol to check excesses of cattle rustlers around the country.

Read: Agatu people killed our cattle first – Fulani leader

In the past weeks, over 300 people, including children and pregnant women were reportedly killed by the Fulani herdsmen and 7,000 others were said to have been displaced.

Multiple reports claimed that that the Fulani herdsmen began trouble after 10,000 heads of cattle belonging to the Fulanis were allegedly killed by the Agatus.