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From Scholastica Hir, Makurdi
Gunmen, suspected to be herdsmen, have killed three persons, including two farmers and one other, in two separate attacks in parts of Otukpo and Ohimini Local Government Areas (LGAs) of Benue State.
The Chairman of Otukpo LGA, Mr Maxwell Ogiri, confirmed this to newsmen on the phone on Saturday, saying the incident occurred on Friday night.
He said the attacks occurred in Ukpamaju village in Otukpo LGA and along the Ojano axis of the Otukpo–Enugu highway in Ohimini LGA, leaving several other persons injured.
According to a situation report made available to our correspondent by the chairman, the first incident occurred at about 5:00 p.m. when security operatives received a distress call over an attack on Ukpamaju village.
The chairman disclosed that local security personnel, in collaboration with the police, rushed to the community but discovered that the village had already been deserted by residents fleeing the attack.
The report said: “Yesterday evening at about 1700hrs, we got a distress call from Ukpamaju village in Otukpo about Fulani herdsmen attack. We rushed along with Police to the already deserted village and trailed the attackers to a farm in the village and discovered the attackers ran away but killed two men who were tilling the ground with a tractor.
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“They are Friday Omoha from Ogbadibo LGA and Francis Liambee from Guma LGA, a tractor operator. It was believed the tractor was hired from Gboko.”
The report stated that: “One of those who escaped narrated that the attackers were about 15 armed with AK 47 rifles.”
The chairman said the two bodies were deposited at the University of Health Science Otukpo mortuary.
“While leaving the mortuary at about 2200hrs while eating, another distress call came from Ojano, Enugu road that the highway was totally blocked by attackers. We along with the operatives of Operation Whirl Strokes (OPWS), dashed to the scene and we had gun duel with the attackers.
“The armed herders attacked one TMT mass transit vehicle and pockets of others. We cleared the road and brought three passengers to the hospital but one gave up the ghost.
“Further findings reveal the attackers were about 15 which apparently mean they could be same group who attacked Okpamaju in Otukpo earlier were the ones who navigated to the Ojano–Enugu road in Ohimini.”
