…Families of slain victims search for corpses in tears
…Burnt several houses, scores flee homes
As more Local Government Areas in Benue State remain under siege due to persistent armed herdsmen attacks and killings, the insurgents are reported to have killed 16 farmers in Kwande local government area and dropped their bodies inside River Katsina-Ala, a tributary of River Benue.
Besides, three Cocoa traders who were returning from a business trip in the state also met their untimely deaths as the invaders allegedly waylaid them in a Hummer bus and burnt them alive together with the Cocoa fruits near Kashimbilla, in neighbouring Taraba State.
At least ten local government areas of Agatu, Guma, Gwer-West, Makurdi, Katsina-Ala, Ukum, Logo, Ogbadibo, Otukpo and Kwande among others have come under serious humanitarian heat as a result of persistent attacks by suspected Fulani bandits.
A source from the Kwande local government area who is also a community leader, Mr Lawrence Akerigba, confirmed the dastardly incident in an exclusive telephone chat, saying the armed terrorists crossed into Kwande last Saturday where they launched the attack that saw three*** houses razed down.
Mr Akerigba lamented that the ever-busy Jato-Aka/Kashimbilla road has now become a death trap as armed herdsmen now lay siege to innocent travellers, massacre and throw their bodies into the river.
“As I speak with you, 16 innocent people who were returning from the market lost their lives in the hands of the killers who killed them and threw their bodies in River Katsina-Ala, a tributary of River Benue.
“Families of the slain victims have continued to search for corpses of their people but in vain and tears”, Akerigba exclaimed.
He appealed for the deployment of troops to help contain the situation as soldiers already on ground are not enough to meet the security hiccups being faced by people in the affected communities.
Also reacting to the incident, former councillor for Moon council ward near the Cameroon, Hon. Jacob Ubi, decried the ongoing spate of insecurity bedevilling Kwande local government area and urged both the state and federal governments to demarcate the boundary between Benue and Taraba States as part of strategies to end years of intractable bloodshed.
Hon. Ubi disclosed that the state government has since neglected the people of the area, and has refused to listen to their cries, and appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to establish a police barrack and construct access roads to attract meaningful development in the now deserted communities.
The former councillor said Jato Aka, the home of ex-Minister of Steel Development, Wantaregh Paul Unongo which remains the only safe place for all displaced people in the area, has been overpopulated with victims as most public places have now been occupied by IDPs.
He noted that at the moment, all schools in Jato Aka have been shut down while markets have been grounded for fear of attack by the invading armed herdsmen.
He said communities facing the heat of the attack include Anyiase, Imadedula, Anyamande, Ikyoawen, Iorger and Jonwata among others.