- As acting Governor say Benue under siege,
- police confirms latest killings
Massacre reigns in Benue over recent killings of 19 people including the two priests allegedly killed by suspected herders filtered into the town as tension and crisis spreads to other towns and villages in Makurdi
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Our correspondent reports that impromptu protests erupted in major areas of Makurdi city with some youths who took to the streets, blocked roads and made bonfires at the Wrukum axis.
Motorists and commuters diverted for alternative routes to get to their desired destination as schools authority quickly alerted parents/guardians to pick up their children/wards from schools even before closing hours.
But, for the timely intervention of security operatives who took charge of flash points, the situation would have degenerated into lawlessness when corpses of the dead victims arrived Makurdi to be taken into the morgue.
Similarly, the Wadata, Wurukum and Modern markets were hurriedly closed even as other shops in the metropolis were also shut as hoodlums attempted to take advantage of the situation to cause more trouble.
Reacting to the recent killings the State Commissioner of Police, Fatai Owoseni, confirmed to newsmen that some bandits believed to be herdsmen attacked a church in Mbalom community of Gwer East and killed two priests among others.
Owoseni who paid on the spot assessment visit to the affected places, said that the attackers came in at 5:00am and disrupted a burial ceremony which the priests where expected to officiate.
He added that 16 dead bodies were recovered while he was at the affected village, bringing the number to 19 including the two clergy as well as one other corpse which was earlier brought to Makurdi.
The police commissioner said that the initial investigation into the matter suggested that the attackers were over 30 in number, stressing that the invaders took advantage of the wider expanse of forest in the area to lurk around before committing the crime as early as 5:00am.
Owoseni however said security agencies have spread their drag net around the forest of the affected community in collaboration with the community residents to pursue the attackers who are believed to still be hiding in the bushes.
As the acting Governor of Benue state, Engr. Benson Abounu, has lamented that the state is under siege following the series of attacks from all corners within a couple of weeks.
“This is another Black Day in Benue. I’m saddened. The governor who is currently out of the country and the entire people of Benue state are saddened by the continued killings. Benue is under siege. We have been attacked from all corners and this is unacceptable,” he said.
Abounu posited that the killing was well-planned by the assailant who left no stone unturned in achieving their targets.
He called on the federal government and relevant security agencies to treat the matter as the insurgency in North East of the country because it was beyond the farmers/herders crisis.
“All the corpses have been brought to Makurdi. There were 19 corpses including the two priests who were killed right inside the church. We are under siege and I do believe this has gone beyond farmers/herders crisis. It should be regarded as a grave matter, it is still hot and security agencies must run after these attackers and bring them to justice,” the acting governor said.
