Bandits Kill Five Persons In Fresh Attacks As Benue Government Conducts Mass Burial For 17 Others

It was learnt that the separate attacks happened in Agatu, Apa and Gwer West Local Goverment Areas of the state between Sunday and Monday. 

No fewer than five people have been reportedly killed while one woman was abducted by gunmen suspected to be bandits in three local government areas of Benue State. 

It was learnt that the separate attacks happened in Agatu, Apa and Gwer West Local Goverment Areas of the state between Sunday and Monday. 

Some community sources told PUNCH on Tuesday that five people were killed in Agatu and Gwer West LGAs while many were reportedly injured and kidnapped in Apa LGA. 

The sources noted that the bandits on Sunday attacked Ikpele village in the Agatu LGA at 6pm and killed four persons with one of them beheaded while three others were amputated.

“One person was killed in another attack on rural farmers in Gwer West LGA, bringing the total of causalities on same Sunday invasion of the two LGAs to five during which several others were injured by the gunmen,” a resident said.

In  Apa LGA, though, no death was recorded, the bandits were said to have kidnapped a woman when they laid siege to the highway on Sunday and Monday to attack travelers along the Otukpo-Adoka-Oweto highway.

“They shot somebody in the leg and shot another vehicle’s tyres in Asaba-Ojantele of the Apa LGA. They also laid a siege between Iga and river Okpene of Apa LGA and kidnap a woman.

“As of Monday evening, they repeated the same attack on the highway on the same Asaba-Ojantele. People from the places have been totally sacked from their home in Asaba-Ojantele of Apa LGA,” one of the locals who did not want to be mentioned said.

A humanitarian worker in the area, Joseph Adakole, said that the continuous attacks by armed invaders on Idoma land were getting out of hand as people were being killed every day with houses burnt down and the destruction of farm produce becoming unbearable.

At the Tuesday mass burial for the earlier victims, the Benue State Governor, Hyacinth Alia,  was represented by the deputy governor, Sam Ode.

Speaking on behalf of the governor,  Ode said the best solution to end the incessant attacks by armed herders on Benue communities was the formation of vigilante groups.

This was as the state government, on Tuesday, conducted a mass burial for 17 victims of the armed herders’ attack earlier killed on Mbakyor at Mbaikyor, Mbalom in the Gwer-East LG of Benue State were, on Tuesday, given mass burial.