…Scores flee homes, injured survivors receiving treatment in hospitals

…Police mobilize tactical teams to restore calm, ensure safety of residents – PPRO

Armed terrorists suspected to be of Fulani on Tuesday launched a deadly attack on farmers in Ohimini and Ado Local Government Areas of Benue State, allegedly killing a total of ten people.

The arsonists were also reported to have burnt down a Catholic Church in Anwule community in Oglewu in Ohimini, while in Ado, the terrorists attacked the Rijo-Utonkon community, where at least four farmers were killed.

Reports say the attackers targeted farmers who were working in their fields, killing several with machetes and other weapons.

New Telegraph gathered that as a result of the midnight attacks, scores of residents have been missing in the affected Local Government Areas of Benue South senatorial district, as extreme panic has enveloped the entire area.

Sources from the affected local governments told New Telegraph that tension has spread across the areas as casualty figures were likely to escalate, just as the extent of damage was yet to be ascertained at the time of this report.

According to the locals, the assailants stormed the villages, shooting sporadically and setting homes and places of worship ablaze.

The attack came shortly after security personnel and government officials had left the communities.

The Catholic Parish, which had been serving as a refuge for displaced villagers, was completely razed in the onslaught.

Residents described scenes of chaos as gunfire rang through the community, forcing survivors to flee into nearby bushes and neighbouring towns.

“They came around midnight and started shooting everywhere. Many innocent farmers were killed, and our church was burnt”, one survivor recounted tearfully.

Although the exact number of casualties has not yet been confirmed, locals said “so far ten people were killed” and expressed fear that the death toll could be significant, as many residents remain missing and several others are receiving treatment for gunshot wounds.

The state government was yet to issue an official statement regarding the incident at press time.

The assault adds to a growing wave of violent attacks in Benue’s rural communities, sparking renewed calls for urgent government intervention to protect lives and property across the state.

The state Police Command spokesperson, Udeme Edet, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), confirmed the brutal attack.

Udeme said that the tactical teams of the command had been mobilised to the area to restore calm and ensure the safety of the residents.

She said a full-scale investigation has already been launched into the incident.