• Fulani militia kill 80 in 3 hours
• Police confirms 30 dead
Suspected Fulani militia, yesterday morning unleashed horror on the people of Egba Village in Agatu Local Government Area of Benue State, killing 80 residents within three hours.
The latest killings came seven days after Fulani herdsmen ransacked Jootar community in Logo Local Government Area of the state and murdered five people. The Fulani mercenaries had since sacked the Tor Tiv, Dr. Alfred Torkula, from his palace.
Fleeing residents form Egba, claimed that the invaders struck in the wee hours of yesterday within the space of three hours.
Nigerian Pilot learnt that the invaders also maimed women and children and burnt several houses.The mayhem threw all the communities in Agatu council into mourning as people from the neighbouring areas had one or more relations affected in the latest attack.
A priest, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the attack was the worst in the last four years communities in the council had witnessed under the hands of the invading Fulani herdsmen.
He said: “As early as 5am, Egba people came under wailing as the marauders surrounded the whole community and forced their way into the people’s houses and macheted their victims who were mostly women and children.
“Indeed, in the whole communities in the council today (Sunday) no church opened for service because of what happened. In fact, I lost five of my members in Egba community in the attack,” the Priest said.
Another resident told Nigerian Pilot that many people were killed, stating that the whole community had been deserted, adding that, “as I am talking to you, we are in the bush trying to escape the invading marauders, all the neighbouring communities have also been deserted for fear of being attacked.
“At least, before I could escape from our village (Egba), it was a gory tale as I saw no fewer than 40 bodies in the area,” he said.
The Benue Peoples Democratic Party, PDP governorship candidate who hails from Agatu, Hon. John Ngbede, disclosed to our correspondent that 60 persons were killed while others were still searching for their missing relations.
State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Hyacinth Dagala, who confirmed the incident, said that as soon as the command was intimated of the attack, he promptly responded by deploying more men and officers to the troubled community.
He said as at the time his men arrived in the village, only 30 dead persons were seen, adding that his men were still searching for more dead bodies.
Agatu Local Government Area is one of the four councils affected by the constant attacks by Fulani mercenaries in the state. Others are Guma, Gwer West and Makurdi councils.
Only last Monday, Paramount Ruler of Gwer West Local Government Area of Benue State, Chief Daniel Abomtse, disclosed that the Tor Tiv, Dr. Alfred Torkula, had been sacked from his palace by Fulani insurgents.
He said five people were killed and several others abducted in an attack by suspected Fulani herdsmen on Jootar community.
The monarch spoke at the Government House Lodge, Makurdi, when he received the newly elected leadership of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, Benue State Council, who visited him.
The Tor Tiv is from Guma Local Government Area, one of the worst affected councils in the state by the Fulani herdsmen insurgency, where his family compound was razed last year.
He said: “As I speak with you, Fulani insurgents have taken over the village of Tor Tiv. His Royal Majesty, Dr Alfred Akawe Torkula, can no longer attend burial and other functions in his community. They walk freely with guns and all I know is that the invasion is a conspiracy against Tiv people and Benue community.
“These insurgents, who disguise as herders, seize everything belonging to our people; and if nothing urgently is done, it therefore means that Benue State, and by implication, Nigeria is sitting on a keg of gun powder due to our strategic location,” he said.
Abomtse claimed that nine districts in his domain were being controlled by the insurgents, whom he maintained were not “ordinary” nomads.
He said: “These are trained snipers; they go around with sophisticated weapons and what we notice is that they are not the ordinary nomads we know. These gunmen come into Benue from Nasarawa State and we want Governor Tanko Al-Makura to be made to answer for this.”
Some of the residents who fled the community, told newsmen that the invaders had also surrounded other neighbouring communities and might soon unleash mayhem on them.
Special Assistant to the Governor on Media, Chief Joseph Anawah, lamented the persistent attacks which had continued despite the presence of armed security operatives in the area.
He said that the attacks had displaced farmers across the council and called on the Federal Government to find a lasting solution to the problem.
Source: Nigerian Pilot
• Police confirms 30 dead
Suspected Fulani militia, yesterday morning unleashed horror on the people of Egba Village in Agatu Local Government Area of Benue State, killing 80 residents within three hours.
The latest killings came seven days after Fulani herdsmen ransacked Jootar community in Logo Local Government Area of the state and murdered five people. The Fulani mercenaries had since sacked the Tor Tiv, Dr. Alfred Torkula, from his palace.
Fleeing residents form Egba, claimed that the invaders struck in the wee hours of yesterday within the space of three hours.
Nigerian Pilot learnt that the invaders also maimed women and children and burnt several houses.The mayhem threw all the communities in Agatu council into mourning as people from the neighbouring areas had one or more relations affected in the latest attack.
A priest, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the attack was the worst in the last four years communities in the council had witnessed under the hands of the invading Fulani herdsmen.
He said: “As early as 5am, Egba people came under wailing as the marauders surrounded the whole community and forced their way into the people’s houses and macheted their victims who were mostly women and children.
“Indeed, in the whole communities in the council today (Sunday) no church opened for service because of what happened. In fact, I lost five of my members in Egba community in the attack,” the Priest said.
Another resident told Nigerian Pilot that many people were killed, stating that the whole community had been deserted, adding that, “as I am talking to you, we are in the bush trying to escape the invading marauders, all the neighbouring communities have also been deserted for fear of being attacked.
“At least, before I could escape from our village (Egba), it was a gory tale as I saw no fewer than 40 bodies in the area,” he said.
The Benue Peoples Democratic Party, PDP governorship candidate who hails from Agatu, Hon. John Ngbede, disclosed to our correspondent that 60 persons were killed while others were still searching for their missing relations.
State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Hyacinth Dagala, who confirmed the incident, said that as soon as the command was intimated of the attack, he promptly responded by deploying more men and officers to the troubled community.
He said as at the time his men arrived in the village, only 30 dead persons were seen, adding that his men were still searching for more dead bodies.
Agatu Local Government Area is one of the four councils affected by the constant attacks by Fulani mercenaries in the state. Others are Guma, Gwer West and Makurdi councils.
Only last Monday, Paramount Ruler of Gwer West Local Government Area of Benue State, Chief Daniel Abomtse, disclosed that the Tor Tiv, Dr. Alfred Torkula, had been sacked from his palace by Fulani insurgents.
He said five people were killed and several others abducted in an attack by suspected Fulani herdsmen on Jootar community.
The monarch spoke at the Government House Lodge, Makurdi, when he received the newly elected leadership of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, Benue State Council, who visited him.
The Tor Tiv is from Guma Local Government Area, one of the worst affected councils in the state by the Fulani herdsmen insurgency, where his family compound was razed last year.
He said: “As I speak with you, Fulani insurgents have taken over the village of Tor Tiv. His Royal Majesty, Dr Alfred Akawe Torkula, can no longer attend burial and other functions in his community. They walk freely with guns and all I know is that the invasion is a conspiracy against Tiv people and Benue community.
“These insurgents, who disguise as herders, seize everything belonging to our people; and if nothing urgently is done, it therefore means that Benue State, and by implication, Nigeria is sitting on a keg of gun powder due to our strategic location,” he said.
Abomtse claimed that nine districts in his domain were being controlled by the insurgents, whom he maintained were not “ordinary” nomads.
He said: “These are trained snipers; they go around with sophisticated weapons and what we notice is that they are not the ordinary nomads we know. These gunmen come into Benue from Nasarawa State and we want Governor Tanko Al-Makura to be made to answer for this.”
Some of the residents who fled the community, told newsmen that the invaders had also surrounded other neighbouring communities and might soon unleash mayhem on them.
Special Assistant to the Governor on Media, Chief Joseph Anawah, lamented the persistent attacks which had continued despite the presence of armed security operatives in the area.
He said that the attacks had displaced farmers across the council and called on the Federal Government to find a lasting solution to the problem.
Source: Nigerian Pilot
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