By: Monday Danladi, Bauchi
Two charcoal sellers in Zaranda village in Toro LGA of Bauchi State were on Tuesday, allegedly gruesomely murdered by yet to be identified local hunters.
The development therefore led to the grounding of social and commercial activities in the community as the angry residents of the village along the Bauchi – Jos Federal highway blocked the road disrupting free flow of movement.
Commuters from the two directions were subjected to delay for hours as the protesters refused every entreaties for them to remove the barricade on the highway demanding for justice.
A resident of the community who pleaded anonymous told our Correspondent that the protest was necessitated by the alleged gruesome murder of two members of the community by local hunters in the bush.
According to him, the two people who were said to be engaged in charcoal business, were killed by the hunters because they refused to ‘settle’ them as they tried to ferry their charcoal from the bush to the village.
The source added that, the hunters insisted that the killed charcoal businessmen must settle them or drop the bags of charcoal they were carrying on their motorcycles.
He added that as the argument ensued, the two people attempted to force their ways out of the place a development that was said to have irked the hunters.
The source said that, the hunters thereby opened fire with their loaded dane guns hitting the victims in several parts of their bodies leading to on the spot death of the two.
When information filtered into the village, the residents were said to have rushed to the scene to ascertain the story and thereafter went back to relay what happened.
The source added that on seeing what happened and to avoid imminent reprisal attacks, the hunters fled the area to unknown destinations.
Angered by the development, Youths of the village immediately mobilized and blocked the highway burning tyres and flying leaves demanding for justice for the heinous crime committed by the hunters.
All efforts to get official confirmation of the development from the State Police Command proved abortive as the Command PPRO, SP Ahmed Wakili neither picked up the phone when he was called nor replied to the message sent to his mobile number as sms and whatsapp.
