Farming communities in Benue State are confronted with more fear of attack and killing of innocent people following the ongoing massive influx of armed herdsmen with their cows into the state,

The herders, who, New Telegraph observed, carry sophisticated weapons, have so far invaded Nenzev, Ugondo in Logo Local government area as well as Gwer-West, Kwande, Guma and Ukum among others, are freely grazing their cattle on farmers farmlands unchallenged and destroying other properties.

More residents are fleeing their ancestral homes, with children of school age not spared.

In Kwande, New Telegraph gathered that the insurgents are reportedly regrouping for another round of deadly attacks after scores of people had been gruesomely massacred and a large farming population displaced.

Governor Hyacinth Alia had recently cried out that the state was under siege due to continued attacks and killings and implored traditional rulers in the state to rise up and help fight the worsening insecurity in the state.

He said the worse of it is the discovery of lithium and gold mining sites in the Kwande Local Government area by foreigners, which he noted has constituted more of a threat to the people.

New Telegraph reports that the influx of herdsmen hasalready  started sending dangerous signals to the locals as they have started parking their household items to flee their villages.

Apparently worried over the spate of insecurity ravaging the state, the House of Representatives member representing the Gwer East/Gwer West Federal Constituency, Asema Achado, called on families who have lost loved ones in the tragic incidents to take the corpses of those killed to the headquarters of their local governments.

Achado, in a widely circulated statement by his media aide, Mendah Manasseh, believes that the act of displaying the dead bodies would serve as confirmation of the situation, compelling both the local, state and federal governments and the international community to recognize the urgent need for action.

The federal lawmaker opined that the sustained attacks and killings in the state “represent a deeply troubling and unacceptable emergency that cannot be overlooked”.

He wondered why the present administration in the state ‘has chosen to downplay the gravity of the situation and is instead engrossed in denials’.

Achado described it as sad and unfortunate, “that a government the people of the state overwhelmingly voted for has turned its back on them and has been defending and absolving their enemies from any form of blame in the attacks and killings.”

He revealed that many local governments in Benue are facing attacks by armed herders, with thousands of people displaced, many killed, and property worth billions destroyed, adding that the attacks are unprovoked and systematic, leaving families in mourning and communities engulfed in constant fear.

Achado commended the Bishop of Katsina-Ala Catholic Diocese, Bishop Isaac Dugu, who recently spoke against the attacks and urged the Benue State Government to sit up and defend the people.