No fewer than 16 people were killed yesterday in separate attacks on Makurdi and Katsina Ala local government areas of Benue State.
Six persons lost their lives in Abagena and Asom communities in Makurdi, while 10 security operatives were killed in Katsina Ala.
The Makurdi attacks, which happened between 4 am and 5:30 am, targeted villages located near the Abagena Mega IDPs camp, a settlement that has come under sustained herders’ assaults.
The killings sparked massive protests as more than 200 residents blocked the Makurdi–Lafia–Abuja highway, dumping the corpses of the victims on the road. The blockade caused a gridlock, leaving many commuters stranded.
Community leader Targema Unande said the assailants stormed the villages, firing sporadically and gunning down those who tried to flee.
“It has become a permanent feature,” he lamented, urging security agencies to protect peasant farmers.
In Katsina Ala, the council chairman, Justine Shaku, confirmed the killing of about 10 security personnel during a joint clearance operation around the Agu Centre general area in Mbatula/Mberev ward, close to Taraba State.
In a Facebook post, Shaku said the troops were resisted by armed militias, Fulani marauders, and suspected mercenaries.
“Casualty reports indicate that more than ten security personnel lost their lives. So far, only two bodies have been recovered,” he wrote.
He added that two Hilux vehicles were burnt, motorcycles carted away, while reinforcements have been deployed to recover bodies still trapped in the bushes.
