Armed terrorists, suspected that be herdsmen launched coordinated attacks on innocent traders and buyers on Thursday evening and Friday morning last week at Ukohol community in Guma Local Government Area of Benue State killing 20 persons among them, children and a security personnel.
The dastardly attack also left several persons injured while hundreds of those displaced were seen fleeing on foot to the neighbouring town of Daudu with the few belongings on their heads, eye witnesses say.
One of the survivors, Saakuma Udenyi said the attackers first struck on the evening of Thursday, November 3, 2022 when people of the community were retiring for the day.
According to him, the attackers shot indiscriminately at several people and matchetted those who tried to flee, stating that the attackers returned the morning of Friday, November 4, 2022 and killed a security personnel and burnt down several houses, without security intervention.
The latest attack by armed herdsmen on Ukohol community is coming barely two weeks after similar attacks took place in Gbeji, a settlement in Ukum Local Government Area of Benue State.
It would be recalled that thirty-six persons including two policemen were massacred with other persons missing following alleged armed herders attack on Gbeji community in the early hours of Wednesday, October 19, 2022.
According to official statistics from the State Government, since 2011 Benue State has been facing perennial attacks by suspected marauding herdsmen with at least 5,000 persons including over 120 security personnel murdered in cold blood by the assailants. The state currently has over 2 million persons taking refuge in Internally Displaced Persons, IDPS camps.
