Herdsmen Killings: Five killed in fresh Benue communal clash
No fewer than five people have reportedly lost their lives in a fresh communal clash in Guma and Agatu local government areas of Benue State.
While four persons who lived in the community died during the clash on Sunday, one of the herdsmen was said to have been killed at Lower Benue, a suburb of Makurdi, on Saturday.
Revealing the cause of the clash, a native of Agatu community said it all started when about seven boys in the area went to have a bath in the community stream.
The native added that the little children who were aged between 10 and 15 years were ambushed by the herders who shot at them and killed two of them.
“The children, whose ages were between 10 and 15 years, had as usual gone to the stream in the community when they were attacked by herdsmen.
“Some of the children rushed home to tell the people of the invasion by the herdsmen and by the time we got to the stream, the herdsmen had fled but we met the lifeless bodies of the kids. The head of one of them was cut off.”
In a similar occurrence, herdsmen attacked and killed two people at Tse Samaka, Guma.
Fatai Owoseni, the Commissioner of Police in the state, confirmed the incident during a meeting he had with the leaders of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria.
Owoseni said, “We had an incident just yesterday (Sunday); two persons were killed in Agatu but we have responded swiftly to douse tension, we are working closely with other security agencies to ensure the crisis does not escalate.
“Also, some bandits have killed two persons in the Guma area on Sunday which makes us to reinforce in the area.
“Also, we have this report at Lower Benue here where a herdsman was killed.”
