Fresh bloodshed in Benue communities, 100 killed in renewed attacks

There is renewed bloodshed in Benue State when gunmen invaded four council wards in Kastina-Ala Local Government Area, killing over 100 people in fresh attacks.

National Daily learnt that the gunmen that over 100 dead bodies were recovered from many communities in the four council wards after the gunmen struct concomitantly at different locations between Saturday and Sunday.

The media aide to the Chairman of the Kastina-Ala Local Council, Tertsea Benga, narrated that the gunmen invaded communities in the Mbayongo Council Ward in Katsina-Ala Local Government Area at about noon on Saturday, setting ablaze several houses.

Benga had identified the communities the bandits struck as Vingir, Tse Nyipila and Tse Guji all in Mbayongo ward.

He added that the gunmen moved on to Kenvanger in Mbatyula Council Ward on Sunday afternoon to unleash more mayhem on innocent citizens.

National Daily gathered that some of the dead bodies were found in the bush.

Benga also disclosed that half of the communities in one of the invaded places, Yooyo Council Ward, still in Katsina Ala Local Government Area, was earlier invaded by the gunmen, chasing the residents out of the community, while others were killed.

Chairman of Kastina-Ala LGA, Alfred Atera, was gathered to have acknowledged the killing of over 100 people in coordinated attacks at the weekend in the four council wards of Mbayongo, Yooyo, Utange and Mbatyula/Mberev.

Atera attributed the frequent attacks in the LG to collaboration between suspected armed herders and Gana boys (loyalists of a Benue wanted militia leader, Terwase Akwaza, Gana, killed by the Nigerian Army on his way to Makurdi to meet Governor Samuel Ortom for amnesty deal).

Atera had narrated: “More than 100 people have been killed in different places.

“They [attackers] are killing and dropping as they are going on their way. Some people were able to claim the corpses for burial.

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“I told the military that the attackers have developed a strategy; they are not attacking one place.

“If they attack a place now, the next thing you hear is that they are in Yooyo and at the same time they are attacking Utange, so the military is going here and there.

“There is no military connivance, but I’m suspecting the existence of bandits here and I think they are trying to win cheap popularity.”

Katsina-Ala has been a theatre of bloodshed in Benue State over the years.