There was a serious bloodshed in Gbagir in Ukum Local Government area of Benue State following a deadly incursion of the area by suspected armed Fulani terrorists that left scores of farmers dead.
The gruesome attack, which started at about 6am yesterday, was heralded by the invasion of Chito community on Sunday, a nearby densely populated community by the militants with AK-47 and other high-powered rifles that sent residents flee into the bush.
Saturday Telegraph gathered that Tse-Saror in Ukum LGA, country home of former Senate Minority Leader, Professor Daniel Saror, was also not spared, while deserted homes were reportedly usurped by the invaders.
Scores of residents, including women and children, deserted their homes leaving their belongings such as food, clothing and livestock at the mercy of the insurgents. Reports said that many houses were also torched.
Gbagir is three kilometers away from Zaki-Biam, headquarters of the local government, which shares common boundary with Katsina-Ala and Logo local government areas of the state.
The attack and killings came, while the people were preparing to celebrate this year’s Easter, which marks the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.
A resident of the area, who spoke to Saturday Telegraph on condition of anonymity, said, “more than 100 people have been killed and many others sustained varying degrees of injuries.”
The source said that military fighter jets were seen hoovering over the troubled area to dispel the insurgents.
Spokesperson for the state Police Command, Catherine Sewuese Anene, confirmed the incident, saying that the command had deployed many of its men to the area to help contain the situation.
Anene said, “the state command has deployed our men to the area and they are there now.”
Some political analysts have linked the prevailing insecurity situation in the state to the failure of the state government to fully implement the state’s widely accepted anti-open grazing law that was promulgated by the immediate past administration.
Reports said three men believed to be Fulani militia stormed the market in Chito community on Sunday on motorcycles in broad daylight, wielding AK-47 and other high-powered rifles.
The terrifying scene sent traders and villagers fleeing for safety, abandoning their stalls and homes in a desperate bid to survive.
Residents, including pregnant women, children, and the elderly, reportedly spent the entire nights hiding in nearby bushes under heavy rainfall.
Some, who managed to escape said the gunmen, fired sporadically, creating widespread panic and forcing an entire community into displacement.
The humanitarian challenge in Chito and other surrounding villages, Saturday Telegraph gathered, is rapidly deteriorating, as thousands of residents remain in hiding, without food, shelter, or medical care.
Community leaders have called on both the state and federal governments to urgently intervene before the situation escalates further.
There has been no official statement from the authorities in the state regarding the Chito and Gbagir incidents as at press time.
