Rose Ejembi, Makurdi
At least, 37 persons have been feared killed while several others have been injured and some still missing after suspected herdsmen attacked three council wards in Guma Local Government Area of Benue State.
The affected villages were Tse Umenger in Mbadwem Council Ward, Mbakpaase in Saghev council Ward as well as Tse-Ali in Mbawaar council Ward all of Guma local government area of Benue State.
Daily Sun gathered from a source who hails from Umenger that the heavily-armed bandits suspected to be herdsmen numbering over 50, stormed the Umenger village, on Tuesday evening, and set the entire village on fire killing about 15 people in the process.
Our source said a few hours after the attack on Umenger, at about 11:30 pm, another group of armed men numbering over 20 invaded and sacked villages at Tomanyiin-Mbakpaase in Saghev Council Ward killing three persons.
And in the early hours of Wednesday, the attackers were said to have stormed Tse-Ali in Mbawaar Council Ward killing 19 people while also razing down many houses and food barns in the area.
Recall that only last week Friday, gunmen allegedly in military camouflage, were said to have raided five villages in Saghev council Ward and killed 16 persons.
These attacks on Guma villages were coming a few hours after suspected herdsmen attacked Ayaar Mbalom in Gwer East local government killing 19 persons, including two Catholic priests.
Tyonenge James, a local from Tse-Ali who spoke with our correspondent on phone Wednesday afternoon disclosed that already, 19 dead bodies had been recovered from the area at the time of this report.
“The invaders killed three persons and injured many, burnt down all the houses stalled with food items. Right now, no single house is standing in these villages at the time of this report,” our source from Tse-Ali said.
Another source from Mbakpaase who simply gave his name as Tersoo said some youths in the area have so far been able to recover some of the dead bodies and buried them immediately.
“In Mbakpaase which is my village, some dead bodies have been recovered and buried this morning by some villagers who have since fled for safety.”
A gubernatorial aspirant on the platform of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Dr. Tivlumun Nyitse who is from Mbadwen told newsmen on phone that 15 dead bodies were recovered from his council Ward this morning while many houses were also burnt in the area.
However, when contacted, Commissioner of Police in charge of Benue State, Fatai Owoseni said he was yet to get details about the said attacks.