Barely 48 hours to the Presidential and National Assembly elections, no fewer than seven persons have been reportedly killed in a fresh armed herders attacks on four communities of Apa, Logo, Guma and Gwer West Local Government Areas of Benue State.
Vanguard gathered that the attackers also left scores injured and many others displaced.
Among those killed in the recent attacks was Timothy Adzuu, the younger brother of an appointee of the state Governor on Protocol, Mr. Frank Adzuu, who was shot and killed at Tyulen village, Agasha in Guma council.
The victim was reported to have lost his life in the early hours of Wednesday, when the armed herders invaded the community from neighbouring Nasarawa State, shooting sporadically and chasing away the people from the community.
The death of Timothy was confirmed by his elder brother on his social media handle.
According to an eyewitness, the same scenario played out at Ikobi community in Apa LGA, where three persons were gunned down by armed herders, who stormed the community from neighbouring Agagbe community in Gwer West, where the marauders killed two persons in their farms after which they marched into Ikobi, killing three of the victims.
According to the source, “The armed herdsmen came to our village this morning from neighbouring Agagbe in Gwer West LGA, where we heard they had killed two people in their farms and when they got to Ikobi, they killed three of our people also in their farm. The attack was unprovoked and it is unacceptable.”
Also, in Logo LGA, large number of armed herdsmen were said to have taken over several communities in Ukemberagya of Ukemberagya/Tswarev Council Ward, including Chamber, Mgbapa and Tse Igbur, where a middle aged man was reportedly killed in his farm by the armed herders.
It was gathered that the invasion of the area, which was confirmed by a community leader in the area followed days of migration of the herders from neighbouring Nasarawa State, who were reported to have taken over farmlands in the ward.