Pascal Arogorn Ibe
Gunmen on Tuesday night killed three people in Agboughul community of Makurdi metropolis in Benue state.
Daily Trust reports that the decessed are; Barrister Moses Udam, his wife, Nkechi and a blind octogenarian, Nyikyor Mazugu as well as three others who sustained gun wound and are now being treated in the hospital.
Witnesses said the gunmen believed to be herders had struck the vicinity at 11:20pm and killed their victims whose homes were situated at the edge of the community bordering a vast swampy untilled field.
Eldest son of the deceased octogenarian, Abraham, told our correspondent, that the gunmen first struck the house of the lawyer before invading his father’s thatched roof compound.
“Immediately, they (gunmen) entered into my father’s compound, they went straight and shot my father in the chest, killing him instantly, then they shot two of my siblings who are now receiving treatment at Bishop Murray’s Hospital in Makurdi,” he said.
Abraham who intimated that he just buried his wife at the weekend, lamented that the sad incident was a grief too much for him to bear.
Similarly, a relation of the lawyer and his wife, who was sobbing bitterly, disclosed that the younger sister of the decessed Barrister Moses was also shot but survived the attack and now in the hospital.
Also, a mourner at the lawyer’s resident said the deceased celebrated his birthday hours before he was murdered.
“He was killed on his birthday. So sad. The lawyer was also pastor of Gospel Faith Mission Church at Ankpa Quarters in Makurdi,” the mourner added.
Another victim, Ama Ate, said they carted away his N200,000 as well as a handset but he was lucky to have escaped from the gunmen by the whisker.
Ate said the gunmen threatened to shoot his daughter if she failed to show them where her father hid, adding however that after they ransacked the house and saw the money, they went away without harming the girl.
Earlier, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) for Benue Command, DSP Catherine Anene, confirmed the development to our correspondent by a text message.
Anene stated, “Gunmen attack at Agbo village claimed the lives of two persons. One person receiving treatment at BSUTH. Policemen deployed to forestall further breach of peace.”
Meanwhile, Governor Samuel Ortom who visited the scene alongside the State Police Commissioner, Mukaddas Garba, described the killings as, “unfortunate.”
He said, “this is not the Nigeria of our dream. This is not the Benue of our dreams. This is unfortunate and it is impossible to put security in all places of the state.
“This terrorists whom most of them are not Nigerians have continued to kill people who have not offended them in any way. This will not be allowed.”
Ortom further vowed that Benue State under his watch will not succumb to attacks by terrorists whether they are jihadists or militia herders whose sole target is occupation of the state and destruction of lives and property.
The governor added that the pattern of the attack and killings barely four days after a similar incident at Tse-Angbande was indeed unfortunate and bore the design of a grand plan to whittle down operations of Livestock Guards and Agro Rangers who are doing very well in containing attacks on communities and enforcing the ranching law of the state.
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