No fewer than eight persons have been killed and dozens missing after a fresh attack on three Benue communities by suspected herdsmen.
The affected communities are Ogwumogbo, Ikpele and Ejima, all in Agatu local government area of Benue State.
Agatu has consistently witnessed armed herders attacks in the past two weeks with troops and civilians killed.
In the first attack, which happened on January 18, 2024, five people, including three soldiers, were ambushed and killed.
Barely five days after, a former Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, Mike Inalegwu who hails from the LG, confirmed another attack leading to the death of two people.
The Saturday attack, the third in the past two weeks, was said to have lasted four hours with the armed herders raiding several communities.
A resident of the local government, who did not want his name mentioned for safety reasons, said: “Residents of Ogwumogbo, Ikpele and Ejima have all deserted their homes and fled into the forest.”
The lawmaker representing Agatu State Constituency in the Benue State House of Assembly, Godwin Edoh, lamented the incessant attacks and urged the relevant security agencies to fish out the perpetrators.
“It is true; these attackers invaded three communities of Ogwumogbo, Ikpele and Ejima on Saturday between 12 pm and 4 pm and they sacked the people. Eight people were killed in this latest attack and several people are still missing.
“Despite all our efforts, the killings have persisted. No one is coming to our aid and the governor is quiet. I do not understand this,” the lawmaker said.
