For the past four years, residents of the Abavo community in Ika South Local Government Area of Delta State have been living in fear, desperately hoping for help as they continue to face ongoing killings and kidnappings.
In just the last two years, around 86 people have been kidnapped in the area, with nearly 30 losing their lives and never making it back home.
The latest incident involved suspected herdsmen who kidnapped a female farmer and opened fire on three members of the local vigilante group.
The victims were members of a vigilante group formed to safeguard farmers in the Oyoko area of Abavo, following frequent attacks by herdsmen.
The kidnapped woman and her husband had been tending to their farm when the attackers struck. While the husband was able to flee, his wife was unfortunately captured.
Abavo, a kingdom in Ika South Local Government Area of Delta State, is primarily an agricultural community and home to the well-known Oyoko Market, one of the largest food markets in the state. Every four days, buyers from across and beyond Delta State gather there to purchase fresh produce.
However, rising insecurity has driven many farmers away from their lands. As a result, the market has lost much of its vibrancy, and the once-bustling Agbor-Amukpe Road now sees little traffic, mostly limited to motorcycles and bicycles.
Last year, the Abavo community sent a distress letter to the governor titled, “Abavo Community Faces Existential Threats from Ongoing Kidnappings, Killings, and Farmland Destruction”. In the letter, signed by Mr. Frank Jeghefume and Mr. Jude Amamosa—President and Secretary General of the Awu Elites Club, they appealed to Governor Sheriff Oborevwori to step in and protect them from those threatening their safety and livelihood.
The letter expressed deep concern over the alarming rise in kidnappings for ransom, noting that some victims have tragically lost their lives. It stated that the kidnappers only release a few of their captives after demanding large sums of money, sometimes in the millions of naira. The letter also highlighted that some victims have been subjected to sexual assault, while farmlands continue to be destroyed by the attackers.
Residents pointed out key areas frequently targeted in the attacks, including the Abavo farmlands near the Warri-Itakpe railway line that runs through the community, the Azuowa Quarters, and the road connecting Owa Kingdom in Ika North East Local Government Area to Abavo.
Read also: Suspected herdsmen abduct Delta farmer, injure three vigilante members in Ika community
