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Many residents were reportedly killed when gunmen attacked communities in Gwer west and Apa LGAs in Benue state on Sunday.
According to multiple reports, about 43 people were killed in the attack.
The police in command in Benue have not issued any official statement on the attacks.
However, Timothy Kume, chairman of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), confirmed the attack and told Punch that they had not yet ascertained the death toll.
“It’s not that I don’t have the figure, but the one I have is old; as you know, the attack is happening nearly every day,” the newspaper quoted Kume as saying.
“For instance, the Sunday attack on Naka, headquarters of Gwer West LG, affected one pastor; he was killed in the attack.”
The gunmen, suspected to be criminal herders, reportedly stormed Tse Antswam, a suburb of Naka town, on Sunday around 7 pm and shot indiscriminately, leading to many casualties.
According to Amnesty International in a statement on Monday, another set of gunmen invaded another community, Edikwu Ankpali, the same time Tse Antswam was being attacked.
The rights organisation said about 85 people had been killed in Benue within one week.
“Bloodshed in Benue: 85 killed in a week. In barely a week, at least 85 people have been killed in Benue State. Last week, gunmen killed 42 people during gruesome attacks on villages of Gwer West LGA,” the organisation said.
At least 25 residents were said to have been killed in the Edikwu Ankpali community.
“Over 25 people at Edikwu Ankpali, in Apa LG, were killed yesterday (Sunday), and the corpses will be buried soon,” Punch quoted a source as saying.
