Armed Men Kill Five In Benue

Suspected armed herders on Tuesday evening killed five farmers in Udeku Maav-Ya community in Mbakyol Council Ward, Turan district of Kwande Local Government Area, Benue State.

Local sources said the incident happened at about 4 pm when residents were harvesting yams and bambara nuts.

The attack, according to a resident who identified himself simply as Terna, disrupted activities there and led to tension.

When contacted, the chairman of Kwande Local Government Area, Vitalis Terhile Neji, confirmed the killings of the five persons.

He identified the victims of the attack to include Tyozua Gyuse, Gbaga Gyuse, and Tersuur Ijighka, adding that the names of two others were yet unknown.

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Search operations were ongoing to find some of the residents who had been declared missing at the time of filing this report.

Mister Neji, who said Kwande LGA shares an international boundary with Cameroon, lamented that the terrain complicates security operations.

He stated that consequently, residents of the community constantly faced sustained attacks and destruction of crops, homes, and economic trees, as well as restricted access to water sources.

The continued attacks during harvest season threaten food security, and schools, churches, and markets have been forced to shut down.

Efforts to get comments from the state Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Udeme Edet, were not successful at the time of filing this report.

The fresh attack on farmers has triggered concerns over the influx of armed herders in Benue communities, which always happens during the dry season.