Panic As 5 Villagers Are Feared Killed In Benue

Five individuals are feared dead following an assault on the Adija community in the Apa Local Government Area of Benue State.

Locals on Tuesday said the attack was carried out by armed assailants over the weekend, and that three bodies have been recovered so far.

They said the search for the remaining two bodies was still going on.

Barrister Eche Akpoko, the National Chairman of the Apa Development Association, who spoke to our correspondent on phone after assessing the affected area, expressed sadness over the killing of his people.

He confirmed that five people were believed to have been killed in the latest attack even though only three bodies were found as of Tuesday afternoon.

“Yes, I can confirm to you that five people have been killed. I’m at the local government headquarters, Ugbokpo, for an on-the-spot assessment. The place is so hot.

“As I speak to you now, three bodies out of the five have been recovered while the other two are still missing; we don’t know where they are or whether they have been killed. It is the usual attack by the herders. They attacked the community and five persons were missing.

“Daily, people are being killed, people are being maimed, women are being raped, children are being massacred. For how long can this continue?

“Almost all the villages, the attacks are going on. How many of these military guys do we have that will cover the entire space?

“People just group themselves particularly those that do not have relatives that can accommodate them as they are being chased away from their villages. They sleep anywhere; in the open space, under the tree or anywhere they can lay their heads. There is no designated IDP camp that the government is taking care of,” Akpoko said.

The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), SP Catherine Anene, however, said she was not aware of the killings in the Apa area.