Again Gunmen Kill Dozens In Benue Communities

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Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Catherine Anene, has confirmed yet another attack by gunmen suspected to be herdsmen on Friday morning, attacked separate attacks in two local councils of Benue State in the past two days. Gwer West and Katsina-Ala Local Government Areas of Benue State, murdering about 36 people and abducting many others. According to some residents in the communities where the attacks took place including Shikaan, Mbagena, and Kpav, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the attackers suspected to be Fulani herdsmen invaded their communities in the early hours of Thursday and killed people randomly. The chairman of Gwer West LGA, Mrs. Grace Igbabon, who also confirmed the attack and killings, said some suspected Fulani herdsmen attacked a community close to Makurdi and killed five people while many others were abducted.

“Some suspected Fulani invaded Tinader on the way to Makurdi and attacked villagers and travelers. We were holding a stakeholders’ meeting yesterday between 4 and 5 pm when people from Tinader village called me that there was an attack on their village. They said five people were killed.

“I later gathered that the attackers waylaid passengers on the Naka/Makurdi highway and kidnapped some people, including a woman and her child. Up till now, their whereabouts are unknown,” she said.

The chairman also confirmed that there was an exchange of gunfire between Fulani herdsmen and villagers at Mbakpa village yesterday morning.

“Even this morning at Mbakpa village, there was an exchange of fire between Fulani and the villagers. One person was reportedly killed,” she said, adding that she had reported the incident to security operatives.

When contacted, the Benue State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Catherine Anene, confirmed the attack on Gwer West, saying five people were killed.

She, however, said she was yet to get the report of the incident in Katsina-Ala local council.

In a related development, gunmen suspected to be herders in separate attacks killed several persons and destroyed properties in both Bali and Gassol Local Government councils in Taraba State.

As at the time of filing this report, no fewer than twelve dead bodies were said to have been recovered from the scenes of the two separate attacks, in Sabon-Gida village of Gassol Council and Pangari village of Bali.

It was gathered that the herders stormed the communities at night when the residents were deep asleep.

Some persons who claimed to have narrowly escaped the scenes, claimed that apart from the killings and injuries inflicted on residents of the communities, massive destructions of valuables also occurred.