By Ayo Kehinde
At least eleven people have been reported killed and several others injured on Tuesday following an attack by suspected armed herders on Afia community in Ukum Local Government Area of Benue State.
The latest incident comes less than a week after armed herders killed over 50 farmers in separate attacks on Ukum and Logo local government areas of the state.
The traditional ruler of Ukum, Iyorkyaa Kaave, disclosed the attack on Tuesday in Makurdi during a security meeting.
Lamenting the incessant killings, the monarch said, “Today, Tuesday, April 22, herders invaded Afia in the early hours, shooting sporadically at anyone in sight. Eleven people were killed on the spot, several others sustained varying degrees of injuries, and many are still missing.
“These attacks started on Thursday in Logo and spread to communities in Ukum on Good Friday. We are still counting our losses, recovering more corpses, and searching for missing persons.”
Kaave appealed to the Federal Government to intervene, stressing that the herders behind the attacks are different from those historically known to the community.
“We want the President to know that these Fulani people are different from the ones we settled with in the 1970s and 1980s. Back then, they came during the dry season with their wives, children, and cattle to stay peacefully with us.
“But in recent times, they arrive with cattle and AK-47s, attacking our people in their sleep. After killing, they flee and later return to occupy the homes of their victims.
“The President must understand that we cannot settle with murderers. These people have a hidden agenda to kill and occupy, and they are no longer hiding it,” he said.
