10 Lives Lost as Suspected Herders Attack Benue Communities

In a series of devastating attacks, suspected armed herders have claimed the lives of 10 individuals and left many others injured in several communities within the Apa, Kwande, and Guma Local Government Areas of Benue State.

The attacks, which have been ongoing for the past three days, have targeted Ubele, Ochumekwu, Adija, Kano, and Ijaha in Apa LGA. National Chairman of Apa Development Association, Mr. Eche Akpoko, expressed his distress over the relentless violence and killings in Apa.

In Ijaha-Ibele, five people lost their lives, while Ochumekwu, Adija, and Kano each reported three, one, and one casualties respectively.

The attacks have also spread to Yelewata in Guma LGA, where a middle-aged farmer, Mr. Oryiman Ifa, was brutally hacked in his cassava farm by herders invading the area with their cattle.

On Sunday morning, the marauders also invaded Moon on River Mkomun near the Cameroon boundary with Benue State, trapping locals and threatening to kill them.

Some of the trapped villagers managed to escape after paying a sum of N5,000 each to those who helped them flee.

Tragically, a man named Johnson Akanu was killed on his way to Ikobi on Monday, February 19.

The victims of these attacks are in dire need of support, and the local authorities are urged to take immediate action to prevent further violence and protect the people of Benue.