Gunmen kill 18 villagers in Benue

At least 18 people have been killed in a fresh attack on Ukohol community of Guma Local Government Area of Benue State.

The security adviser of the local government council, Christopher Waku, told our correspondent on the telephone that the incident happened about 5pm on Thursday, the village market day, while people were still trading.

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He said, “I was told this morning (Friday) that they are still combing the bush to recover missing persons.”

Also, the Guma Council Chairman, Mike Ubah confirmed to journalists in Makurdi that 18 people were killed.

Ubah said the attackers appeared in black attires and opened gunfire on people in the market, killing 10 on the spot after which they also ransacked three nearby villages and killed eight others.

“My people at Ukohol were attacked by armed herders. They killed 10 people in the market. The worst of it all is that they even killed children below the age of two years.

“They went to three villages/settlements around Ukohol and killed another eight people making it a total of 18.

“The security operatives were prompt and that was what saved the day. If they had delayed, the causality would have been more than what we now have on the ground.

“It was a market day, they (attackers) went there and started shooting. What is happening now is that they are trying to distabilise people from their villages and settlements for them to occupy those areas and be grazing in the night. No villages are spared and the whole 10 council wards in Guma are affected,” the council chairman said.

The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in the state, SP Catherine Anene, confirmed the incident but said she did not have the details yet.