At Least 59 Deaths Recorded Following Fresh Attacks on Benue Communities by Suspected Herdsmen

Fresh attacks by suspected herdsmen have been reported in three communities – Ugondo, Turan, Gabo Nenzev – in the Logo Local Government Area, Benue State, killing no fewer than 59 persons.

A member of the Benue State House of Assembly representing Logo Constituency, Kester Kyange who confirmed the incident said in a text message:

As of this morning, the calls I made confirmed to me that about 59 persons including a traditional ruler were killed while many others are still missing. The women, children and the elderly have all fled their homes to take refuge in Ugba, headquarters of Logo LG.

Speaking to PUNCH, a member of one of the communities said:

The people were shooting sporadically and the villagers fled, including myself and members of my family for fear of being killed.

The situation in Ugondo at the moment is scary and we are helpless. It’s as if we are at war. The mission of the invaders is to occupy and take over our villages.

It’s a pathetic situation because corpses are littering the community though one cannot give a specific number of the dead which should not be less than 15. But I know that the casualty figure could be huge because many have been wounded as bullets continue to fly around.

The people are also burning down houses, farms and foodstuff as they move into the villages in what looks like a well-coordinated attack.

Benue State Police Command through its Police Public Relations Officer, Moses Yamu confirmed the incident, saying that more mobile policemen had been drafted to the area to forestall further attacks.