Again, gunmen suspected to be armed herders have invaded two communities, Ikpele and Okpokpolo, in the Agatu Local Government Area of Benue State and killed two people.
The Tuesday attack was coming barely a week after suspected armed herders launched an attack on some communities in the council, leading to the death of three soldiers and two others.
The Force Commander of the Operation Whirl Stroke, Maj. Gen. Sunday Igbinowanhia, while confirming the attack, said the two soldiers and personnel of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps were killed while preventing the attack in Okokolo.
He had said, “The success achieved was however at a huge cost with three of the troops paying the supreme sacrifice to prevent the killing of the inhabitants of Okokolo and the intended sacking of the community.”
A source from the community, who simply identified himself as Oche, told our correspondent on Wednesday that “another attack happened yesterday (Tuesday) night.”
”They (gunmen) attacked Ikpele and Okpokpolo and other places yesterday night throughout and we are yet to get the exact number of persons killed.
“There was a serious battle till around 10 pm. Two bodies have so far been recovered. Many houses were burnt. In fact, within the attacked community yesterday in the night, at least 17 burnt houses were counted,” Oche said,
He added that residents of the affected communities had deserted their homes.
Confirming the attack, a former Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, Mike Inalegwu, who hails from the local government, said tension was high in the council area.
He said, “The truth is that yesterday (Tuesday) the armed herdsmen attacked Okpokpolo village and killed two persons while the villagers were thinking of their speculative attack on the Ogbai community.
“Tension is high and the seven villages in Kogi border of the local government are deserted. This is authoritative.”
The Police Public Relations Officer in Benue State, Catherine Anene, said she had yet to receive the information.
But the Special Adviser to Governor Hyacinth Alia on Security and Internal Affairs, Joseph Har, also confirmed the attack. He however said he was not told that people were killed.
OBSERVERSTIMES reported earlier that Over 30 persons were killed and several houses destroyed, yesterday, in the Kwahaslalek and the surrounding communities, as gunmen defied the 24-hour curfew imposed on Mangu Local Government Area by the Plateau State government, on Tuesday.
However, a security personnel who preferred anonymity said, “Mangu town is calm but we were called in the early hours of today (yesterday) about a development around the communities close to the NYSC camp. Our people are there but the deed had been done. A lot of people were killed. The victims are mostly women and children. They had run to hide there because they thought the place was far and the attackers would not go there. But the attackers were conveyed in a vehicle and dropped there before they attacked.”
Other security personnel who also preferred anonymity confirmed the alleged complicity of some of his colleagues saying, “We tried to enter the communities at about 10 am but we could not because of the fire power. Some of us had to confront some of our colleagues from a sister agency because of the perceived bias attitude from them. We are security personnel, we have to keep sentiment aside and help where we can but when one arm gives the impression of bias, how do we solve the people?”
Meanwhile, the Convener, the Initiative for a Better and Brighter Nigeria, IBBN, Prophet Isa El-Buba has called for an urgent action against insecurity saying, “Security developments in Nigeria have remained alarming and worrying.”