Five killed as suspected bandits attack Benue community

From Uche Nnorom, Makurdi

No fewer than five persons were on Monday evening killed in Entekpa Ward of Adoka, Otukpo local government area of Benue State.

Chief Oliver Inalegwu, Ward head of Entekpab said five people were killed, adding that the entire village have been sacked.

“We went there with the council chairman this morning and it was bloody everywhere. It was herdsmen who attacked the village yesterday”, Chief Inalegwu said.

Chairman, Otukpo local government area Hon Maxwell Ogiri who confirmed the incident said yesterday, the people brought information that there were suspected strangers in their community and they began to alert one another.

He said, the people reported that initially, it was not just humans but later many cattle were seen which indicated that it was a decoy to distract their attention to the cattle.

Maxwell said, “so, the cattle was coming from one direction, the attackers came from another direction.

“And while the cattle were coming from another direction, the attackers had already hid on the trees waiting to strike the community.

“And they did a lot of damages. Instantly, five persons were killed. Several others sustained different degrees of gun wounds and have been admitted in different hospitals.

“They burnt a house and shoot sporadically. The military have moved in large number. They went on a first-hand assessment of the areas damaged and level of destruction caused.

“And then we have mobilized our civil protection guards and the locals. You know, majorly the locals are ill-equipped. They have nothing to defend themselves except for these hunting dane guns.

“This is the situation we have found ourselves. There was no need for attack on my people. There was no provocation. It wasn’t that there was a prior crisis and they were expecting that a reprisal was going to come in this situation.

“So far, there is a lot of humanitarian crisis because the displaced people are enormous.

So many villages have been sacked and the villagers displaced.

“The people are in Adoka-Icho Ward. We have a culture where we don’t stay in the IDP camp. Our people are not used to camps. Rather, they scatter among relatives, families, and others persons in the communities.

“At the moment, the deputy governor Samuel Ode has assured me that relief materials will be provided for those who are displaced while the police are making efforts to send more troops to curtail the situation”.