9 family members, 27 others killed in Plateau, Benue, Niger

From Dickson S. Adama (Jos), Hope Abah (Makurdi) & Nda Alhaji (Minna)   Gunmen have killed 36 people, including nine members of the same family, in separate attacks on communities in Plateau, Benue and Niger states. The attacks, which occurred over the weekend, are the latest in a series of assaults on rural communities by […]

From Dickson S. Adama (Jos), Hope Abah (Makurdi) & Nda Alhaji (Minna)

 

Gunmen have killed 36 people, including nine members of the same family, in separate attacks on communities in Plateau, Benue and Niger states.

The attacks, which occurred over the weekend, are the latest in a series of assaults on rural communities by armed men who have continued to kill and kidnap residents while destroying livelihoods.

In Plateau State, nine members of one family were killed on Saturday night when gunmen attacked Wereng-Camp and Kum villages in Riyom Local Government Area.

One resident, Mr Pam Yohanna, sustained life-threatening injuries and is currently receiving treatment.

Our correspondent gathered that the attack began at about 11 p.m. on Saturday and lasted for more than an hour.

The National Publicity Secretary of the Berom Youth Moulders Association (BYM), Rwang Tengwong, who confirmed the attack, lamented that the frequency of these attacks, the scale of civilian casualties, and the destruction of homes and livelihoods underscore the urgent need for stronger protection of vulnerable communities and meaningful accountability for those responsible.

“Those killed in the attack have been identified as Mrs Celina James (38), Mr Yohanna James (21), Mrs Janet Yohanna (18), Baby Jennifer Yohanna (3 months) and Miss Sele James (18).

“Others are Miss Melody James (16), Reto James (10), Endurance James (8) and Peace James (3).

“Entire families have been wiped out, villages repeatedly invaded, homes destroyed, and thousands of residents displaced from their ancestral communities,” he said.

He called on the Federal Government to intensify efforts to protect vulnerable communities, dismantle terrorist hideouts, apprehend and prosecute the perpetrators of these attacks, and ensure justice for victims and their families.

A community member, Yohanna, alleged that the attack may be linked to the alleged association between one member of the affected family and the gunmen.

He claimed the man, whose name was withheld, had allegedly maintained close ties with the attackers despite concerns repeatedly raised by residents.

According to him, the man’s elder brothers, who were among those killed, had often warned him against his alleged activities.

Residents also claimed the suspect fled before the attack and that his house, located within the same family compound, was left untouched by the assailants, raising further suspicion.

Sources said some community members were searching for him.

When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer, Alfred Alabo, said he had yet to be briefed on the incident.

 

Protest as 18 killed in fresh Benue attack

A protest broke out in Otukpo on Sunday after gunmen killed at least 18 people, including a pregnant woman, in separate attacks on two communities in Otukpo Local Government Area of Benue State.

The attackers invaded Akpachi village in Ugboju community, where two people were killed on their farm on Saturday evening. They later attacked the Otukpo-Nobi community in the early hours of Sunday, killing 16 others, mostly women and children. Several others were injured.

Residents said the attackers operated between 3am and 5am while most people were asleep.

Witnesses told our correspondent that the death toll rose to 18 from the initial 10 as of Sunday evening as the search team recovered more bodies from the surrounding bushes in the affected communities.

The killings triggered outrage in Otukpo town. Angry youths and other residents carried some of the victims’ bodies to the palace of the Och’Idoma, Dr John Odogbo Eliagwu, in a peaceful protest, demanding urgent government intervention and improved security.

Also, angry youths blocked all entrances to Otukpo, a development that took a long time before the Commissioner of Police in the state was allowed to gain entry into the town and the affected communities.

One of the female protesters who spoke to journalists in Makurdi on the telephone said 16 people were killed in Otukpo Nobi, including her sister and two children.

Another protester narrated that a three-year-old infant’s head was spattered while on the back of his fleeing mother, and a seven-year-old who was sweeping the front of the local church around 5am was gunned down just as the clan head of Ai-Ochaikpigwu, Ebegidi Ukwenya, almost ninety years old, was shot on his arm and stomach.

Chairman of Otukpo LGA, Prince Maxwell Ogiri, has, however, linked Sunday’s attack on Otukpo-Nobi community to the recent killing of the Chairman of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), Alhaji Ardo Risku Muhammad, warning that reprisals were anticipated.

“I am sure the news of the death of Ardo Risku Muhammad is no longer news to you, and if you know the mindset of the people we are dealing with, you should also know that reprisals were likely to occur,” he said.

Ogiri disclosed that the violence began on Friday evening when suspected bandits attacked farmers at Apachi village in Otukpo LGA.

He told journalists in Makurdi that: “Three persons went to the farm to work, and the bandits came and killed two of them. One escaped and alerted the community. The following day, we mobilised to the farm, recovered the two bodies and buried them on Saturday.”

The chairman added that despite efforts to comb surrounding bushes and strengthen vigilance, the attackers struck again around 4am on Sunday, noting, “We woke up to the news that they had besieged Otukpo-Nobi, killing several people and injuring many others.”

Ogiri said security had also been beefed up in the area.

Meanwhile, the Benue State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Udeme Edet, appealed for time to comment on the incident, saying she had yet to receive details of the attack.

Reacting to the incident, Benue State Governor, Hyacinth Alia, described the killings as “barbaric and inhuman” and a direct assault on the peace and security of the state.

In a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Sir Tersoo Kula, the governor directed security agencies to immediately intensify surveillance and patrols in the affected communities and border areas, collaborate with security operatives in neighbouring states, and ensure that those responsible for the attacks are tracked down, arrested and prosecuted.

He assured residents that his administration would not allow communities in Benue to be turned into killing fields and urged citizens to support security agencies with timely and credible intelligence.

 

Bandits kill 9 in Niger

At least nine farmers have reportedly been killed, while two vigilantes sustained gunshot injuries in a series of attacks on communities in Borgu Local Government Area of Niger State between Thursday and Saturday.

The attacks began on Thursday with an improvised explosive device (IED) explosion along the Dakera–Babanna road, which claimed four lives.

Mallam Hassan Mohammed, a resident, told Daily Trust that the truck carrying the victims stepped on an IED believed to have been planted by terrorists on Thursday morning, killing the four victims on the spot.

“Yes, four people died in the IED explosion. The victims were Boko boys,” one of the sources said.

On Friday, Daily Trust gathered that terrorists launched another attack on Kpenya and Dekara communities, killing three people.

Sources identified the victims as Mallam Yusuf Na Allah, a former principal of Government Day Secondary School (GDSS), Dekara; Alhaji Zakari Abubakar, the Gbaoki of Kpenya; and Mallam Sani.

On Saturday evening, two civilians were reportedly killed and two vigilantes injured following an attack by suspected Boko Haram terrorists on the Pissa community in Gbeswa ward of Borgu Local Government Area.

Residents told Daily Trust that the attack occurred along the Pissa road as two young men were returning from their farm.

The victims reportedly encountered the suspected terrorists and were shot dead.

“Our vigilantes from Zongonji mobilised and engaged the attackers between Pissa and Bakaranbani (Kampke). During the exchange of gunfire, two vigilantes sustained gunshot injuries,” a resident said.

He added that movement along farm roads and other rural routes in Gbeswa Ward remains unsafe due to the heightened threat of further attacks, kidnappings and possible destruction of property.

The spokesperson for the Niger State Police Command, SP Wasiu Abiodun, promised to verify the information and revert. He has not done so as of the time of filing this report.