No fewer than eight people have been killed and others missing after gunmen suspected to be herdsmen attacked some communities in the Agatu Local Government Area of Benue State on Saturday, January 27....CONTINUE READING
The Agatu LG has consistently witnessed herder attacks in the past two weeks with army and civilians killed.
Residents of the affected communities, Ogwumogbo, Ikpele, and Ejima, fled their villages.
In the first attack, which occurred on Thursday, January 18, five people, including three military personnel, were attacked and killed.
Five days after, a former Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, Mike Inalegwu who hails from the LG, also confirmed another attack leading to the death of two other people.
The Saturday attack, which happens to be the third in the past two weeks, was said to have lasted four hours with the herders raiding several communities.
According to a resident of the local government, who did not want his name mentioned for safety reasons, said, “Residents of Ogwumogbo, Ikpele, and Ejima have all deserted their homes and fled into the forest.”
The lawmaker representing the Agatu Constituency in the Benue House of Assembly, Godwin Edoh, confirmed the recent attack to on Sunday, January 28.
“It is true; these attackers invaded three communities of Ogwumogbo, Ikpele, and Ejima on Saturday between 12 pm and 4 pm and they sacked the people. Eight people were killed in this latest attack and several people are still missing.
“Despite all our efforts, the killings have persisted. No one is coming to our aid and the governor is quiet. I do not understand this,” he said.
