From Attah Ede Makurdi
Again, suspected herdsmen in the early hours of Thursday, reportedly launched a violent attack on Mbasombo community in Gwer East Local Government Area of the Benue State, leaving three persons dead with several others still missing.
Mbasombo village is seven minutes’ drive from Makurdi, the state capital.
It was gathered that the attack, which began late last night into this morning (Thursday), also saw several others missing .
Some locals who spoke to journalists in Makurdi on Thursday, narrated that the heavily armed assailants stormed the village under the cover of darkness and started shooting indiscriminately and setting houses on fire.
Mr. Tersoo Ikyernum, a farmer and resident of Mbasombo who escaped from the area, said the armed herders came to the village when people had gone to bed.
“At first, we thought it might be thieves, but then the shooting became intense. We ran with our children, some without shoes, into the night. I have not seen my younger brother since then.
“This is a massacre, not just an attack. We are just seven minutes from Makurdi, the state capital. If we are not safe here, where are we supposed to be safe?”, he said
On his part, a traditional ruler Dominic Shima lamented that the armed herders have already entered the State capital hence the attack on Mbasombo because of its proximity to the State capital.
“This is not some remote village hidden in the hinterlands. This happened right at the doorstep of the capital,” said Chief Dominic Shima, a local traditional leader. “If this can happen here, then it means nowhere is safe in Benue anymore.”
“The gunshots lasted for more than an hour. Where were the police? Where were the soldiers? We are tired of dying in silence,” said Mrs. Patience Ukeyima, a widow who lost her son in the attack.
“Local vigilante groups attempted to repel the attackers but were overwhelmed by the superior firepower and number of the assailants. The attackers have retreated before dawn, leaving behind a trail of destruction.”
The chairman of Gwer local government council, Timothy Adi confirmed the attack, saying three persons were killed.
The chairman in a text message to our correspondent simply said, “I’m in a meeting sir, casualty figure three, situation now relatively calm”.
When contacted the Benue State command police public relations officer PPRO CSP Catherine Anene also confirmed the development, saying three people died during the attack on the community.
She explained that already police personnel have been drafted to the area to forestall further attack
