Suspected herders reportedly hacked a man, identified as John Moses Gwatana, to death over a water pond at Riwaza community in Kwali Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
A resident of Riwaza, Yakubu Gideon, said the incident happened on Sunday around 11:23 am when some herders moved their cows to contaminate a water pond serving the community.
He said trouble started when some women went to the pond to fetch water and met cows drinking from the pond, which, he said, angered the women and it resulted in a quarrel with the herders.
He said as the quarrel got worsening, two of the women rushed back to the community to report and that the deceased and two others rushed to the pond site to confront the herders.
According to him, on getting there, the deceased and the two other villagers questioned the herders why they allowed their cows into the pond and contaminated the only source of water that serves the entire community.
He said in the process, one of the herders pulled out a machete and stabbed one of the villagers.
He said two other villagers also sustained injuries, saying the deceased who was seriously injured died on the way to a clinic at neighbouring Fogbe village.
He said the two other villagers, who sustained machete wounds, were taken to a hospital in Gwagwalada even as he said the herders escaped with their cows before the arrival of the vigilantes from neighbouring Fogbe village.
He said, “Unfortunately, it was later discovered that the herders were migrating from neighbouring Zago village in Niger State.’’
The police in the area confirmed the incident but referred Abuja Metro to the FCT police command for details.
The spokeswoman of the command, SP Josephine Adeh, was yet to respond to an enquiry on the incident as at the time of filling the report.