Gunmen kill 5 in Benue communities

Five people have been allegedly killed by gunmen early hours of Sunday in separate incidents in two Local Government Areas of Benue State.

Our correspondent gathered that three of the five victims were hacked down by gunmen who broke into the home of Inna Jato, a former state lawmaker representing Kastina-Ala East constituency in Nagu village in Kastina-Ala LGA of the state.

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The other two were suspected to have been killed in a cult-related rivalry at Naka rural town of Gwer West LGA.

Witnesses said several others were wounded in the two incidents while property were destroyed and many houses burnt by the gunmen at the ex-lawmaker’s village in Kastina-Ala.

The Chief Press Secretary to the Council Chairman of Kastina-Ala, Tertsea Benga, said he could confirm three people killed in the attack at the lawmaker’s house.

Benga said the incident had happened at night.

Contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer PPRO DSP Catherine Anene confirmed five people dead in both incidents but said she was yet to get details on the Kastina-Ala homicide.

Anene posited that three persons – a man, his wife and child – were killed in the Kastina-Ala incident while that of Naka involved two young people bringing the number to five.

“On 27/12/2020 at about 1am, a gun shot was heard in High Level area of Naka town and police officer were deployed to the area. Two persons were arrested at the scene of crime while two young men were found in a pool of blood. Victims were rushed to hospital but confirmed dead. Five more suspects have been arrested and investigation is still in progress,” the PPRO added.