Gunmen kill 3 in Benue village

Gunmen have reportedly killed at least three persons in Nzoro Council Ward of Guma Local Government Area in Benue State.

Daily Trust gathered that the incident occurred about 5:00am on Sunday while the villagers were asleep in their houses.

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Locals claimed that the three people were felled by the gunmen who fired gunshots sporadically at their victims after laying siege to the community and luring them out from their houses with frightening sounds.

Chairman of Guma LGA, Caleb Aba, on Tuesday corroborated the locals, saying, that three people were killed by the gunmen in an early morning attack on the rural community.

Aba explained that the gunmen surrounded the village at 5:00am on Sunday and started shooting while they knocked on some peoples’ door and macheted them when they showed up.

“They killed three people in all. Two persons including one of the victim was beheaded on the spot while the third person died at the hospital. Five of the injured were initially taken to teaching hospital Makurdi, where one died (third person) while two others are now in Gbajimba hospital. We identified them (attackers) as Fulani herders by the language they spoke and robes worn,” he said.

The chairman, however, added that calm has been restored to the environment as troops of Operation Whirl Stroke (OPWS) have taken over security of the community.

Meanwhile, the State Chairman of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), Ardo Risku Mohammed, has denied knowledge of any attack by herders in parts of the state.

He said, “I have been here (Makurdi) since Sunday but no report of any such incident has been received from my members in the local government areas neither from the government. I’m just coming back from the security adviser’s office.”

Mohammed therefore urged further investigation into the matter, stressing the need for a thorough check on the claim that the attackers were Fulani herders as he alleged that they could be any another identity but certainly not his members.

Contacted, the Police Spokesperson in the state, Catherine Anene, confirmed, the killing of two people in an attack, adding that the command was yet to establish the identity of the gunmen.

“The attack was recorded on Sunday. Two persons died and five injured,” Anene replied in a text message to our correspondent.