Mr. Monovie Tobi, an indigene of the Ikolo community in the Yenagoa Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, and a staff member of one of the contract security companies at the Bayelsa International Airport, has escaped death in an attack on him by fulani herdsmen. Currently receiving treatment in a hospital in Yenagoa, Mr Tobi was brutally attacked in the forest behind the airport, without any form of provocation.
Comrade Patrick Silikpetiemo Claudius, the victim’s brother, narrating his brother’s ordeal in the hands of the herdsmen, said:
“On that fateful day, he was on his way to work for the night shift at the airport. He worked for one of the contract security companies. According to Mr. Tobi, there is a specific route they take due to the lack of transportation in the night hours. They usually paddle a canoe to a particular spot and then walk a few kilometers to the airport. This route is commonly used by the boys from Ikibiri and Ikolo communities to get to work. This has been their regular path for some time since they started working at the Bayelsa International Airport.
“On December 5, 2025, while heading to work, he unexpectedly ran into these individuals, not realizing they had laid an ambush for him. Before he knew it, three of them emerged, surrounded him, and pointed at him, saying, ‘Look at him, he’s the one.’ He asked, ‘Which one be one again?’ They were speaking in Pidgin English, asserting, ‘Na him be dis.’ He responded, ‘I no know una o! I no do anything na.’
“Before he could say anything more, one of the assailants struck him with a machete, cutting his leg. After sustaining this injury, he could no longer run. That was when they began to attack him with further blows to his hands, and that was how the horrific incident unfolded.
According to him, during the incident, it seemed they heard a noise and felt that someone might be approaching, which prompted them to run into the bush. Just after that, someone called him — one of our sisters — to inquire about something. He told her, “Look at what has happened to me. Call our people at home and let them come and get me.” That was how the lady called us. My brothers then used a canoe; some people paddled, while others went from land. That was how they went to bring him back. So that’s what happened.
As at the time of filing this report, Mr. Monovie Tobi could not be reached because he is said to be receiving specialized treatment for his severely injured wrist in the hospital.
We have gathered that a delegation from the Ikibiri Community Development Committee (CDC) had previously met with the Fulani herdsmen at their forest camp where the herdsmen were advised to refrain from grazing on their farmlands and destroying their crops with their cattle to avoid unhealthy confrontations. However, it remains to be seen whether the herdsmen will heed this timely advice in the upcoming farming season.
Reports have it that the Fulani herdsmen have cleared a large tract of land in the dense forests between the Ikibiri and Ikolo communities and are living in several tents from which they periodically emerge during the farming season with their cattle. They graze and devastate crops in the farmlands along their path along the Nun River.
READ ALSO: Amatu-II Community in Bayelsa Calls for Urgent Intervention as Erosion Threatens Livelihood
This situation poses a regular threat to the livelihoods of many farmers in the Ikibiri and Ikolo communities, who fear they may be attacked if confronted on their farmland. If nothing is done to restrict the grazing practices and violent attitudes of the Fulani herdsmen in the hinterlands of Bayelsa State, the situation may worsen.
