7 killed in fresh Tiv/Jukun crisis

7 killed in fresh Tiv/Jukun crisis

7 killed in fresh Tiv/Jukun crisis

From Hope Abah, Makurdi

At least seven people were yesterday killed after heavy fighting broke out between a small Jukun settlement and neighbouring Angbaye Tiv community along Makurdi-Gboko highway in Benue state.

Our correspondent gathered that a disagreement over a certain farm soon degenerated into an ethnic rivalry as both tribes became pitched against each other with dangerous weapons.

A witness who gave her name as Mama Terhemba said she fled the hostility early hours of yesterday to take refuge with her relative around Gyado villa in Makurdi following heavy shooting in the area throughout the night.

She added that more than seven persons might have lost their lives due to the magnitude of the crisis while many sustained injuries in the process of escape.

A local who declined the use of his name told Daily Trust that he counted at least seven dead bodies while fleeing the troubled zone with his family to take refuge alongside other affected people near the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) base in Makurdi.

Meanwhile, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), ASP Moses Yamu who confirmed the crisis, said he could not ascertain the number of the dead at the time of sending this report.