Fulani herdsmen hired by community leaders to kill rivals- Activist

NATIONAL President of the Foundation for Human Rights and Anti-Corruption Crusade, FHAACC, Alaowei Cleric, kidnapped, penultimate Wednesday, by Fulani herdsmen, at the outskirts of Lokoja, while traveling to Abuja with some Ayakoromo community leaders in Delta State, has revealed how a soldier hired by a contending faction and his Fulani gang, ambushed the delegation and abducted him.
Cleric, held captive by the herdsmen for three days, said he and other leaders were on their to Abuja to honour an invitation by the police over a lingering dispute when they were attacked by unsuspecting herdsmen recruited by the soldier paid by factional leaders to eliminate three rival leaders, Hon Richard Tuedon, Chief Backman Tamani and Hon Paul Kurugbe.
His words: “I was in a convoy of two vehicles travelling to Abuja on the 27th of July 2016. The convoy contained Ayakoromo community leaders and some of their followers in Burutu local government area of Delta State; they are Hon Richard Tuedon, Chief Backman Tamani and Hon Paul Kurugbe.”
“Somewhere at the outskirts of Lokoja, while our vehicles were on high speed at about 3.00 pm, we saw three boys standing in our front some distance away from us. We heard those shooting guns in our direction with AK 47 rifles. The vehicle in my front carrying Ayakoromo community leaders made a sudden U-turn and drove back. They ran into another group on our back and in the process of trying to dodge the bullets, their motor somersaulted into the bush,” he said.
According to him: “Those in my vehicle and I ran into the bush. While I was running for safety, one of the attackers pointed gun to my head and told me to follow him. Another of his colleague joined him in the process and they dragged me into the forest. I followed them to their damp deep inside the forest, behind Lokoja town in Kogi state.”
“We trekked for about 120 minutes before we arrived at their camp. The camp has no structure like building or makeshift tent, just ordinary ground. I spent three days in the camp with no food or water to drink except some parboiled beans and rice.
“One of the kidnappers, who identified himself as Haruna, told me that they were contacted by a soldier in Asaba to kill us, particularly the persons in the first vehicle. He said they were not kidnappers, that they were assassins who have been sent to eliminate Ayakoromo political leaders,” Cleric revealed.
His words: “He (Haruna) mentioned their names to wit: Paul Kurugbe, Chief Backman Tamani, Richard Tuedon, Sunday Feke and others and  asked me whether I knew any of these persons and I told him no. He said if I cared, I should pass a message to them that they (kidnappers) were coming after them.”
“He said they knew all their houses and if they doubted them, they would put me in their vehicle and will go and kill them all,” Cleric said.
Cleric told Saturday Vanguard: “On the last day, being Friday the 29th of July, 2016, Haruna, who was very friendly to me and had been giving me all the secrets of their mission, said they were actually sent to kill us by people from our area but they have sympathy on me and that is why they spared my life.”
“He said while we were coming to Abuja, somebody was following us from behind given them all the details of our movements. He said the person called them not less than five minutes before we ran into their ambush.
“They demanded for N20 million ransom, but later reduced to N1milion, which my family members paid before I was released. I do not know the actual number of the kidnappers because they came in from different directions to the camp and disappeared concomitantly.
“However I saw  six of them, who were all Fulani herdsmen. Five of them carried out the act while the sixth person was supplying bullets to them. Three of them came from Asaba in Delta State, they came to meet their colleagues in Kogi state to carry out the job.
“All the information was given to me by Haruna, who said he fears nobody and that is why he can tell me by Haruna, who said he fears nobody and that is why he can tell me anything I need to know. This was how the whole episode happened,” Cleric said.