Over 100 killed in fresh herders’ attacks on Benue villages

Over 100 people have been killed fresh across four council wards of Kastina-Ala Local Government Area of Benue State by suspected herders, according to Tertsea Benga, spokesman of the Kastina-Ala council chairman.

Benga disclosed that over 100 dead bodies have been recovered from many villages in the four council wards where the gunmen attacked between Saturday and Sunday.

He listed the affected villages to include Vingir, Tse Nyipila and Tse Guji all in Mbayongo ward, adding that the attackers proceeded to Kenvanger in Mbatyula council ward on Sunday afternoon.

Benga further recalled that half of the communities in one of the affected locality, Yooyo council ward in the same Katsina Ala LGA, had earlier been sacked by the alleged armed invaders who killed many people then and in the latest invasion.

Also, Chairman of Kastina-Ala LGA, Alfred Atera, said over 100 people were killed in the four council wards of Mbayongo, Yooyo, Utange and Mbatyula/Mberev.

He blamed the attacks on the collaboration between suspected armed herders and ‘Gana boys,’ loyalists of the slain Benue wanted criminal kingpin, Terwase Akwaza.

He noted that security personnel are doing their best, but are overwhelmed by the killers.

“More than 100 people have been killed in different places. They are killing and dropping as they are going on their way. Some people were able to claim the corpses for burial,” Daily Trust quoted him as saying.

“I told the military that the attackers have developed a strategy; they are not attacking one place. If they attack a place now, the next thing you hear is that they are in Yooyo and at the same time they are attacking Utange, so the military is going here and there.

“There is no military connivance, but I’m suspecting the existence of bandits here and I think they are trying to win cheap popularity,” Atera said.