Seventeen locals, five herders and a policeman were killed in separate attacks between Tuesday October 18 and early hours of Wednesday, October 19, 2022, at communities in Logo and Ukum Local Government Areas of Benue State when locals and herders locked horns.
Thenewsbearer gathered that the locals killed five herders in three separate places and rustled cows, butchered and shared them in some communities around Logo local government area of the state on Tuesday.
The Fulanis were said to have carried out reprisal attack at Gbeji in Ukum local government area of the state by invading the community, shooting sporadically and killing 18 people, including a policeman.
The state Commissioner of Police, Wale Abass who confirmed the separate attacks, said that the crisis started on Tuesday and there was a reprisal on Wednesday.
CP Abass explained: “Two Fulanis were coming from Taraba and were in a tricycle after the border line. The locals stopped them and attacked and killed them.
“Simultaneously, close to Anyiin in Logo local government area, two other Fulanis were attacked and killed.
“Also, in another village, one of the herders rearing cows was attacked and killed, and his cows were rustled, butchered and shared among them.
“So, when this happened and we got the wind of it, we were just planning to meet and placate the Fulanis through their leader, the Miyeitti Allah, so as to avoid any reprisal attack, unknown to us that they had their plan.
“At about 7am on Wednesday, they (the Fulanis) bombarded Gbeji, fired sporadically and unfortunately, a stray bullet hit one of our officers who died before he could be taken to the hospital.”
The police commissioner added that as at the time he was speaking, 10 people, including the policeman and five herders, had lost their lives in the attacks.
He stated further that with the deployment of combined security operatives, normalcy had returned to Gbeji community while his men were on the trail of both the locals and suspected herders who perpetrated the evil.
The security adviser to the governor, Lt. Col. Paul Hemba (retd), who spoke to newsmen later in the day, confirmed the death of 18 people, including a policeman, but claimed not to be aware of the killing of five herdsmen by the locals.
He said: “As for reprisal, I have not got any report yet about the killing of the Fulani. I am still trying to make enquiry. I was woken up early at about 12:45am today (Wednesday) and informed that an attack was ongoing at Gbeji.
“I alerted the security agencies and they all mobilised and responded to the distress call; and that helped in reducing the casualty. The security agencies including the DSS all responded.
“The verifiable figures that I have now given to me with pictures by the chairman of the council who is at the scene is 18,” adding that there was tendency for the figure to get higher.
The security adviser said that the injured ones were taken to local government health Centre at Afia while the corpses were taken to NKST hospital, Afia.
He added that critically injured ones were being moved to Teaching Hospital, Makurdi.
