Alleged armed herdsmen have killed five people in the Gwer West Local Government Area of Benue State.
The incidents of violence took place in two separate attacks on Sunday in the coastal communities of Ter Gamber and Camp Nagi within the Mbachohon area of the local government.
According to sources, Terna Ajigiri, informed newsmen that a group of suspected armed herdsmen, totaling more than 10 individuals, launched an attack on Tse Gamber in Sengev Council ward on Sunday morning. During this attack, they fired their weapons indiscriminately, resulting in the deaths of three individuals.
Ajigiri also stated that after the assault in Gamber, the assailants moved to Camp Nagi in Mbachohon Council ward, which is a settlement located along Naka-Agagbe Road. There, they opened fire on innocent civilians, leading to the loss of two more lives.
The source reported that these sudden and unwarranted assaults have resulted in numerous people being displaced due to the fear of additional attacks. Many settlements in the general area are now considered unsafe, prompting urgent appeals to security agencies to deploy forces to the region to prevent further attacks.
Following the removal of the bodies of the victims from the attack sites, residents have abandoned their homes in Gamber and Camp Nagi in Mbachohon.
Meanwhile, Sewuese Anene, the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, verified the attack that resulted in the loss of two of her relatives’ lives.