No fewer than four persons, including a traditional ruler, have been reportedly killed by suspected armed herdsmen in two local government areas of Benue State.
This came to the fore when the State Governor, Samuel Ortom, paid a condolence visit to the area on Wednesday evening.
According to available information, the traditional ruler, Chief Hyacinth Ajon, and Benjamin Anakula were killed in Tse Zoola, Makurdi Local Government Area, while two other people were killed around 8pm, also on Wednesday, at Mbayer-Yandev Council Ward of Guma Local Government Area.
Speaking during the visit to Tse Zoola by Ortom, the eldest man in the community, Pa Aho Zoola, disclosed that the armed herdsmen attacked the villagers at about 2am, killing two people.
Zoola said the attack was without any provocation whatsoever.
When the Governor, who was returning from a burial in the area asked if they had rustled herdsmen’s cows in the past, Zoola answered in the negative.
He said his people had never had any issues with the herdsmen even when their herds grazed on their crops.
Ortom, who sympathised with the villagers, many of whom have been displaced from their homes, promised that he would do everything possible to get security agencies deployed to the area.
The Chairman, Guma LGA, Caleb Aba, confirmed the attack on Mbayer-Yandev community.
Aba disclosed to newsmen by telephone that the incident occurred at about 8pm on Wednesday.
He said: “It happened at about 8pm though my attention was drawn to it at 9pm that Fulani herdsmen invaded Mbayer-Yandev council ward, killing two and injuring three others who have been moved to the Benue State University Teaching Hospital for treatment.”