No fewer than 21 cows have been shot dead by unknown gunmen who invaded a settlement Odogwa community in Etche Local Government Area of Rivers State.

Chairman of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria in Rivers State, Mohammed Abubakar, disclosed this at a media briefing in Port Harcourt.

Abubakar said the incident occurred at about 9pm on Wednesday when the cattle rearers went to town to buy some beverages, saying of the 21 cows killed, 15 were pregnant.

He expressed shock over the attack, because according to the him, the cattle rearers have been living in harmony with members of their host community.

Abubakar said, “They shot 21 cows and before the Miyetti Allah people came back, the gunmen had escaped.

“The cows were littered on the ground dead, just like that. Some just gave birth; some are pregnant. More than 15 were pregnant.

“In the morning, they went back to find out what had happened to provoke the attack and they took their complaint to the monarch of the community and other residents there.

“They too expressed surprise that they don’t know what happened. We have been living peacefully with the people in this community for long, even when our cows destroy crops, we pay for the damages.

“We also pay for the place we are living, yet this sort of thing happened to us. If there was anything wrong that the cattle rearers have done that the people don’t like, they should tell.”

Meanwhile, the Chairman of Northern Community in Rivers State, Musa Saidu, has sued for peace and called for a thorough investigation into the incident.