Three killed as armed attackers strike Benue community again
At Least Three Dead in Armed Attacks in Benue State
At least three people have died following a series of attacks by suspected armed assailants in the Anyiase community of the Moon Council Ward, located in Kwande Local Government Area, Benue State.
Residents reported that the violence erupted between Thursday afternoon and Friday morning, occurring less than 24 hours after a deadly incident was reported in a rural area of Okpokwu Local Government Area.
Akerigba Lawrence, a former Supervisory Councillor in the region, stated that the attackers struck farmland around 3:20 p.m. on Thursday, resulting in the deaths of two farmers, Asongo Nagwebe and Tarzan Agbahegh. In addition, a man and a woman sustained serious injuries during the assault and were transported to the General Hospital in Jato-Aka for medical treatment.
Lawrence noted that the male victim succumbed to his injuries while being transferred to Makurdi for advanced care, increasing the death toll from the farm attack to three.
He also reported that the suspected assailants set up a roadblock at Kyoawen Junction on Friday morning and opened fire on a commercial bus carrying passengers. The number of casualties from this roadside attack had not been confirmed at the time of this report.
Attempts to obtain a statement from Vitalis Neji, the Chairman of Kwande Local Government Area, were unsuccessful, as he did not respond to phone calls or text messages. Similarly, the Benue State Police Command’s Public Relations Officer, DSP Udeme Edet, could not be reached for official confirmation before publication.