Suspected armed Fulani herdsmen on Monday invaded the Omusu-Edumoga village in Okpokwu local government area of Benue state and launched a fierce attack on local residents leaving at least 24 people dead.
The insurgents who were armed with sophisticated weapons invaded the community in broad-daylight and opened fire on the locals mostly women and children killing them in the process after which they zoomed off.
New Telegraph gathered that a man was said to have lost his two wives, while another lost his wife and two children. Fourteen of the victims are women while two are children.
Corpses of those killed in the gruesome attack are deposited at Saint Mary Catholic Hospital and the General Hospital all in Okpoga, headquarters of the local government where victims of the attack were receiving treatment.
New Telegraph also gathered that a five-year-old boy, identified as Loko who was shot at the buttocks and lost his mother to the attack was seen weeping profusely when Governor Samuel Ortom visited the area which was completely deserted for an on-the- spot assessment of the attack.
Conducting the governor and members of state security council round the ravaged community, Chairman of the local government, Mr. Olofu Ogwuche said the herdsmen had earlier reported to the council through police of the loss of their cows, some kilometres away from the affected community.
“It was on Monday that police came to inform me that herdsmen reported that people of Omusu Edimoga rustled their cows.’
“When I heard of this, I started meditating over this when I received information that herdsmen had invaded the community.”
“Immediately I got the report I rushed down, with the help of police we were able to recover seventeen corpses and took them to the mortuary at the general hospital in Okpoga.”
“This morning, when we came here, we recovered the body of six persons that have been taken to the mortuary, but as we were moving around now, the corpse of an eleven-year-old girl was just recovered, so in all. twenty-four persons dead, and some are still missing,” said the council Chairman.
The body of an eleven-year-old girl in her school uniform was also recovered by the police during the governor’s visit, while the entire community was deserted leaving it for security personnel.
Speaking, Governor Ortom who condemned the attack in its totality, accused Fulanis of taken law into their hands and further demanded the arrest and prosecution of Fulani herdsmen.
The Governor described the attack as unfortunate saying such barbaric act was unacceptable in the 21st century.
He reiterated his call for the arrest of the leadership of Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore whom he said were sponsoring the Fulani herdsmen militia and still moving freely in Abuja and giving directives to the mercenaries.
While directing the State Emergency Management Agency to immediately provide relief materials to the displaced persons, Governor Ortom appealed to the community not to embark on reprisal attacks, stressing that security agents were mobilised to forestall further attacks on the communities.
The Governor also visited St. Mary’s Hospital, Okpoga where the injured were being treated and proceeded to the General Hospital where dead victims have been deposited. He directed that arrangements be made for mass burial next Friday.
One of the community leaders, Mr. Itodo Ojobo acknowledged the swift response of security agents to their distress call and appealed for assistance to enable family members to bury their dead and take care of those being treated in various hospitals.
Governor Ortom also paid a condolence visit on Comrade Abba Moro, former Interior Minister who lost his first wife.
According to Ortom, ‘the case of rustling,l had been reported instead of waiting for the outcome of police investigation they came and killed twenty-four people in a day, it is senseless.”
“People in this community do not understand cow language, so no one here rustles their cow, it is the same Fulani men that are rustling their fellow cows.”
“We can not continue with this senseless killings, that is why we came out with the law which is aimed to protect everyone”.
“When Sharia law was introduced in Zamfara state, no one violated the law, let security men do their job and arrest the people, I know that they have been overstretched “.
The governor, however, called on the people not to take law into their hands.
Earlier, Benue state command the spokesman, ASP Moses Yamu had claimed that 16 persons were killed.
He said that the herdsmen were on reprisal when the people of Omusu ‘maimed’ their cows and two herdsmen were found missing in which one of them found dead
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