At least 26 people have been killed in another overnight attacks on communities in Makurdi and Katsina-Ala local government areas of Benue State.
Our correspondent gathered that 25 people were hacked to death in Mtswenem and Akondotyough Bawa communities in the North Bank area of Makurdi Local Government Area, while one person was killed in a separate attack on Kenvanger and Agbami villages in Mbatyula ward of Katsina-Ala Local Government.
Locals said the attacks, which occurred between midnight and 2am on Thursday, were carried out by armed men wielding sophisticated weapons, including guns and machetes.
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A resident said the gunmen broke into people’s homes and slaughtered their victims in their sleep.
One witness who identified himself simply as Iorpuu said the victims included women and children while many others remained missing.
“They just came and started killing people. Some of us escaped, but others didn’t make it. I learnt the number of dead victims increased to 25 because some died on the way to the hospital,” he said.
Another witness who preferred anonymity said one of the villages within the surroundings leading to the University of Agriculture, Makurdi, was attacked and four people were initially killed before the attackers proceeded to another community around the Low Cost housing estate to carry out the mayhem, which tripled the figure.
“But I can’t ascertain the total number of causalities,” the witness added.
In Katsina-Ala, the attackers invaded Kenvanger and Agbami villages at 1am and reportedly attempted to rape some nursing mothers, who raised the alarm, prompting a confrontation with local men that came to their rescue.
The attackers opened fire, killing one person and injuring many others. At Agbami, they beat up residents but no death was recorded.
When contacted, the police public relations officer, DSP Udeme Edet, confirmed that police personnel had been deployed to the affected areas in Makurdi and promised that further details would be made available to newsmen.
He, however, said the police were yet to be informed of the Katsina-Ala incident as at the time of filing this report.
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