Separate attacks on Benue communities
by suspected Fulani herdsmen claimed
21 lives over the weekend. The Benue communities that were
attacked include Apera, Gberija, Tse Pilla,
Uchagh, Ukaha, Atenger, Agema and
Agule in Guma where six persons were
killed while another 15 were killed at
Oguchi-Ankpa in Agatu local government area by the invaders. A source from Guma local government
council said, “They marched into our
villages from Awe in Nasarawa State and
passed through Damko before invading
and burning down eight villages in Guma
local government. “Unfortunately, the herdsmen stormed
the affected villages when most men had
gone to their farms and since we
thought that the persistent crisis had
been settled by both the Benue and
Nasarawa state governments, we were not prepared for the surprise attack. “They killed six of our people who were
mostly women, because they were at
home preparing meals for their
husbands and children who had gone to
their farms at the time of the attack. “Several persons were seriously injured
while many are still missing as at today
and no one has a clue as to their
whereabouts. “In fact this latest attack has brought to
the fore the need for both the Benue
and Nasarawa state governments to
take a closer look at overhauling the
security apparatus operating on the
border between the two states,” he said. Meanwhile, Benue State Governor Gabriel
Suswam has charged the people of the
state to be vigilant and report suspicious
movements in the communities to
security agencies, following the weekend
invasion of Benue communities by suspected Fulani herdsmen. Speaking yesterday at the Catholic
Church, Oshigbudu after inspecting the
damage at Enogaje, one of the
communities earlier attacked by the
marauders, Suswam urged the people to
“be security conscious and report suspicious movements to the relevant
security agencies”.
