Thirteen people have been brutally murdered in an attack by suspected herdsmen in Azege settlement, Mbaya, Tombo Ward of Logo Local Government Area, Benue State.
The immediate past Caretaker Chairman of Logo LGA, Benjamin Uzenda, confirmed the incident, which occurred on Sunday morning at about 7am.
“They (herdsmen) were armed with sophisticated weapons and immediately opened fire on residents who were preparing to attend morning church service,” Uzenda said.
He described the attack as “coordinated, planned” and stated that the attackers “opened fire on the harmless villagers, butchered some bodies after shooting them, and gunned down women and children.”
The attack also involved arson and the destruction of farmlands and crops in the area.
Uzenda added that the attackers operated for hours before fleeing the scene ahead of the arrival of security personnel.
As Benue is reeling under insecurity and killings by armed herdsmen, Southern Kaduna is not left out in the fresh wave of attacks under the President Bola Tinubu-led Nigerian government.
The Bureau Newspaper had on Sunday reported that the Ruruma community in Southern Kaduna, Kaduna State, spoke out about the devastating impact of banditry and kidnapping in their area.
According to a press statement issued on Sunday and signed by its National President Mr. Daniel Dallah, the community has paid a staggering N1 billion in ransoms to bandits and kidnappers.
Tragically, 13 people have been reportedly brutally killed, and over 200 have been abducted.
The community noted that it is vulnerable to constant attacks, with bandits freely carting away valuables and even threatening to return due to the lack of military presence.
The community had appealed to President Bola Tinubu’s administration to establish military presence in Kwasam, its local government headquarters to halt escalating incessant killings and abduction of their people by bandits.