IN a recent attack on the Ukohol community in the Guma Local Government Area of the State, at least 18 persons have been killed.
Christopher Waku, the local government council’s security adviser, told correspondent over the phone that the incident occurred on village market day, which was yesterday, around 5 p.m. while people were still conducting business.
He said, “I was told this morning (Friday) that they are still combing the bush to recover missing persons. The attack was carried out by armed herders.”
Additionally, Mike Ubah, the chairman of the Guma Council, also confirmed to journalists in Makurdi that 18 people had died.
According to Ubah, the assailants showed up in black clothing and started shooting at shoppers in the market, killing 10 people instantly. They then ransacked three nearby villages and killed another eight people.
“My people at Ukohol were attacked by armed herders. They killed 10 people in the market. The worst of it all is that they even killed children below the age of two years.
“They went to three villages/settlements around Ukohol and killed another eight people making it a total of 18.
“The security operatives were prompt and that was what saved the day. If they had delayed, the causality would have been more than what we now have on the ground.
“It was a market day, they (attackers) went there and started shooting. What is happening now is that they are trying to distabilise people from their villages and settlements for them to occupy those areas and be grazing in the night. No villages are spared and the whole 10 council wards in Guma are affected,” the council chairman said.
The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in the state, SP Catherine Anene, confirmed the incident but said she did not have the details yet.
