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John Charles, Makurdi
No fewer than nine persons lost their lives on Friday when suspected gunmen in the early hours of the day attacked Tse Ujoh community in Ikyurav-Tiev, Katsina Alla Local Government Area of Benue State.
While an eyewitness told our correspondent that 12 persons were found dead, police said nine persons were killed in the attack.
According to an eyewitness account, the attackers were said to have stormed the community shooting aimlessly, leading to the death of eight persons on the spot.
The eyewitness further said that some people were injured and taken to an undisclosed hospital where four others died.
The source said, “As soon as they invaded the village, they started shooting and some of the bullets fired penetrated some homes and killed some people. By the time they left, several persons were injured. At least 12 bodies were found and taken to the morgue.”
Reacting to the attack, the Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, who decried the constant attacks in the Katsina Alla axis, described the killing of the nine persons as unacceptable.
Ortom, in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Terver Akase, said that troops had been deployed in the affected area to restore calmness, adding that steps had been taken to prevent further attacks in the area.
He, however, noted that three persons had been arrested in connection with the attack.
It partly read, “Governor Ortom reassures the people of Benue State that his administration will not allow armed militia to continue to terrorise their communities. He encouraged anyone with information that can lead to the apprehension of the gang members to contact the police, Department of State Services or the military.”
The spokesperson for the Benue State Police Command, DSP Moses Yamu, said, “We got information that some militia attacked Tse Ujoh village of Ikyurav-Tiev council ward where nine people were killed.”
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