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Herdsmen resume hostility in Benue

Published

10 years ago

July 11, 2016

Villagers in Osun engaged herders in gun duel, three wounded

81 slaughtered, security operatives taken unaware

Herdsmen have resumed hostilities and killings in Benue State after series of town hall meetings and other forum of dialogue for peace between leaders of the herdsmen and indigenous people who are mostly frame4rs.

A report indicated that some survivors and victims of the renewed hostilities revealed that about 81 persons have been killed by herdsmen in Benue State in the last two weeks.

The local council areas affected by the latest attacks were indicated to include Logo and Ukum. In Logo alone, the herdsmen killed 70 people, Jimmy Meeme, the traditional ruler, was gathered to have said.

He blamed the sustained attacks on his people by the herdsmen on territorial occupation campaign.

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The State Coordinator of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, Garus Gololo, was said to have promised to track down those responsible for the attacks in Logo and Ukum.

The Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, had lamented the inability of the security agencies to arrest the perpetrators of the coordinated attacks.

The state was said to have suffered the highest number of casualties as herdsmen grow bolder in their attacks. Security agencies, the interior ministry and the presidency have been impotent in trying to curtail the menace of the herdsmen.

The spokesman of the Benue State Police Command, ASP Moses Yamu, was said to have dismissed allegations of neglect of duty by security personnel. He had admitted that only 22 deaths were recorded in Logo and Ukum local government areas.