20 Killed, Many Injured, As Herdsmen Attack Ortom’s Village

Again, Fulani herdsmen last Friday night and early Saturday invaded Saghev Ward of Guma Local Government Council, Benue State, killing more than 20 people.

Sources from the area said that the affected communities are Tse-Abi, Tse-Ginde, Tse-Peviv, Tse-Ikyo, Agenke and Gbenke settlements, while an official of the local council also said over 10 corpses have been recovered with many others injured.

The council official said the attack began about 9pm and lasted till six a.m. Saturday. “All of a sudden, we began to hear gun shots, then those who could, started running for their lives.

Some of us ran fast to where Mobile police were stationed around the areas, but they could not do anything to protect us. I don’t blame them because the herdsmen were armed to the teeth,” he said.

John Torsa, a resident, said: “Majority of the people had already gone to bed, because it was about to rain and everybody had run into his or her tents, then they struck.”

Confirming the incident, the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Samuel Ortom, Terver Akase, said apart from the killing, the armed herdsmen also burnt numerous houses, shops and other property in the affected areas, even as he condemned the attack as mindless and unprovoked.

Akase urged security agencies to do the needful, by arresting the herdsmen behind the killings for prosecution. However, as at the time of filing this report, the Benue State Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Moses Yamu, could not confirm the incident, and pleaded for more time.