Panic in Nasarawa community as worshippers flee over ‘armed herders intrusion’

Panic swept through Agboda village in Nasarawa late Monday after a crusade turned chaotic.

Worshippers scampered in different directions when whispers of suspected armed herders approaching the gathering quickly made the round.

A viral video from the scene showed worshippers taking to their heels and hollering. No armed herders were seen in the footage.

In the clip, the narrator said: “They came for a crusade here in Agboda in Nasarawa state.

“We came in for crusade in this community today, look at what the herdsmen did. As you can see the way people are moving… you can see the youth, everybody is unrest (sic) for the sake of herdsmen, right here in Nasarawa state.”

Speaking to TheCable, Ramhan Hansel, police spokesperson in Nasarawa, said the command has no record of the incident.

“We don’t know where that incident happened, and there is no report of anything like that in Nasarawa State, so you can help us speak to the person in the video if you know him and ask him to kindly come forward,” he said.

“We don’t know what has not been reported; we are not angels, we are human beings, and if there is no police division in that area, there will at least be an outpost where such matters can be reported.

“Yes, we saw the video on social media, but we do not have any official report of such an incident in Nasarawa state.”

Asked if the command cannot carry out an independent investigation other than relying on residents’ reports on the matter, Hansel said officers have been contacting divisional heads across the state to determine the location of the incident.

“Since morning, we have been calling all DPOs across the state asking ‘where is this place located?’, but we are yet to get any feedback, so we are appealing that the person in the video or anyone who knows him should please come forward.”