Suspected Fulani Herders have invaded Tse Angbande village, in Adaka, Makurdi Local Government Area of Benue State, killing one Emberga Akwa, his two children, his in law and injuring seven others.
According to community members who spoke to journalists, the herdsmen had invaded the village at about 11p. m on Friday night while they were all in bed sleeping.
Governor Samuel Ortom who visited the scene of the attack Saturday morning, stated that the armed herdsmen, in their usual guerrila pattern, struck by 11p.m when the people were asleep, killing Timothy Emberga Akwa, Innocent Akwa, Terhemba Emberga Akwa and an in-law identified as Orban.
The governor who condemned the barbaric act recalled that a few weeks ago, the herders came without cattle and killed a husband and wife at Tse-Tyohemba, in the same axis of Makurdi, saying that security agents trailed and apprehended three of the assailants.
He assured the people that security has been beefed up to ensure 24 hours vigilance in the affected area to prevent a reoccurrence of the ugly development and urged people of the affected communities to cooperate with security operatives.
The governor while addressing the people at Adaka said enforcement of the Open Grazing Prohibition and Ranches Establishment Law of the state must continue no matter what armed herders do.
Gov. Ortom appealed to the people to remain calm as he is putting measures in place to ensure safety of lives and property.
He urged the community members to cooperate with the security agencies that have been deployed to ensure they get prompt information about suspicious movements.
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One of the community members Felicia Terkyo from Tse Angbande told our correspondent that “Fulani came and killed four people in their room. They came around 11pm. They were shooting guns and we started running.”
Felicia, a mother of six, said she had to run to Adaka with her kids. “When I came back this morning, I saw that they had entered my house, scattered everything and went away with my N7,300 and my handset. We don’t know what we have done to them,” visibly shaken Felicia said.
Mrs Akwa, a breastfeeding mother, who lost her husband and two children in the attack was too shaken to speak as she sustained bullet wounds around her leg and waist.
When the Government visited the Benue State University Teaching Hospital (BSUTH), the injured sons of the late Akwa were lying critically on the hospital beds while nurses and doctors were seen hurriedly attending to them.
