Youth Go Beserk: Kill 12 Fulanis At Zamanshigu

Benjamin Kunbuor - Minister of the Interior

An unidentified group of irate youth reportedly went berserk at Zamanshigu, a farming community near Gushiegu in the Northern Region, Wednesday, attacking a number of Fulani herdsmen and killing 12 of them.

Eight other Fulanis who sustained varied degrees of injury, have been admitted at the Gushiegu Hospital, while the bodies of the deceased have been deposited at the hospital’s morgue.

All the deceased were males, including two children, one of whom was said to have been burnt beyond recognition.

Some property of the herdsmen were also destroyed in the attack.

When the Daily Graphic contacted the police in Gushiegu, they confirmed the story and expressed fears that the death toll and the injury list could increase, as the irate youth were said to be moving to other communities where Fulanis were located.

They, however, gave the assurance that they were stepping up their operations to contain any further violence.

The incident occurred at the Damankung Electoral Area about 2 a.m. yesterday and later spread to the Zantili Electoral Area, both Konkomba settlements in the district.

No arrest has been made, as the alleged attackers are yet to be identified.

According to the Gushiegu District Chief Executive, Alhaji Alhassan Fuseini, although the officials and security agencies were yet to ascertain the actual reasons for the attacks, the mayhem could have been caused by the suspicion that the Fulanis had been destroying farms and livelihoods in the area.

He said the citizens of the area also alleged that some of the herdsmen had been engaging themselves in nefarious activities, such as cattle rustling and armed robbery.

Alhaji Fuseini said all efforts were being made to rescue the rest of the Fulanis in the troubled communities and enforce law and order in the area.

The DCE admonished the people to exercise restraint and remain calm and gave an assurance that the district security committee (DISEC) would surely get to the bottom of the matter.