By Ayomide Otitoju
Gunmen suspected to be herdsmen have launched a fresh attack on the Udeku Maav-Ya community in Mbakyol Council Ward, Turan district of Kwande Local Government Area of Benue State, killing five people.
Local sources said the attack occurred on Tuesday evening while residents were harvesting yams and bambara nuts on their farms, abruptly disrupting activities in the community.
One of the residents, who identified himself as Terna, said the assailants struck during the harvest period, throwing the area into fear and tension.
Confirming the incident, the Chairman of Kwande Local Government Area, Tersua Yarkwan, said the attackers did not immediately withdraw after the assault, a development that heightened anxiety among residents.
Yarkwan described the area as a vulnerable border community sharing an international boundary with Cameroon, noting that the difficult terrain posed serious challenges to security operations. He warned that the continued attacks during the harvest season posed a threat to food security in the area.
Also confirming the killings, a former supervisory councillor in the local government, Akerigba Lawrence, lamented the persistent attacks on the community, saying residents had endured repeated assaults, destruction of crops, homes, and economic trees, as well as restricted access to water sources.
Lawrence identified three of the victims as Tyozua Gyuse, Gbaga Gyuse, and Tersuur Ijighka, adding that the identities of two others were yet to be confirmed. He also disclosed that search operations were ongoing for some residents reported missing as of the time of filing this report.
He further said repeated attacks had forced the closure of schools, churches, and markets in the affected community.
Efforts to obtain comments from the Benue State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Udeme Edet, were unsuccessful as she was not reachable at the time of filing this report.
The latest attack has renewed concerns over the influx of armed herders into Benue communities, a trend residents say often intensifies during the dry season.
