Youths staged protest as herdsmen injures 10 in fresh Benue attack

Ten people were hurt in a fresh attack on the Antsa settlement in Benue State on Monday morning by suspected herders.

According to the  News, the Antsa community is located in Benue State next to the J.S. Tarka University of Agriculture in Makurdi on the bustling North Bank route.

Early Monday morning, the youth started obstructing the main University Community road, making it difficult for anyone going to Gbajimba in the Guma Local Government Area to get through.

The youths continued to blockade the road as of the time this article was filed, insisting to continue until the authorities addressed the security concerns they raised, obstructing traffic.

Meanwhile, Six people have been reported missing from the Ebonyi-Benue boundary hamlet in Benue State’s Ado Local Government Area.

According to Chief Okebili Nwoka, the six family members went missing on Saturday while visiting some Fulani herders stationed at the boundary community to purchase a cow for the funeral of their late in-law, Ogbuagu Ngbo of Nkaleke Village.

Nwokwa identified the victims as Obinna Ajah, Aloysius Ajah, Titus Nwogha, Friday Nwuzu, Emeka Okwor, and Anthony Ibina, all from Onuebor-Nomeh.

He described how the victims were escorted by one of the Fulani herders on their way to the cow-selling site; thereafter, there was a sudden delay, but all of their phones were turned off.

He went on to say that the victims had been tracked down to Akpurata village, where they were believed to have been abducted by Effium warlords involved in a communal conflict with the Ezza tribe.

Hon. Nwogbaga Ogbonna, the coordinator of the Effium Development Centre, confirmed the occurrence over the phone and characterised the missing persons as his brothers.

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He claimed that the incident had been reported to the Ado Local Government Police Headquarters.

He no that two people have already been apprehended as a result of intelligence gathering concerning the tragedy.

When contacted, the Ebonyi State Police Command Public Relations Officer, DSP Joshua Ukandu, stated that the event had not been reported to the command.

According to SP Catherine Anene, the public relations officer for the Benue State Police, stated that she was in a noisy area and asked for a text message. However, she was unable to respond to the text message that had been sent to her phone.