Violence erupted in Anwule village in Ohimini Local Government Area of Benue State on Tuesday after a Fulani herder was allegedly murdered by some suspected locals.
NewsBits learnt that the herders, in what appeared to be a reprisal, launched a counterattack on the villagers, killing three villagers, with one still missing. Benue has been one of the worst-hit states in an onslaught being perpetrated by suspected armed herders. It is one of the states where genocide is alleged to be taking place.
According to security sources, some villagers attacked heads of cattle, killing a young boy herding one of the heads. The sources claimed that the boy’s body has yet to be recovered.
One of the sources continued, “While tension was still high between the villagers who felt that the herders strayed into their farms, and the herders who were still searching for the corpse of the missing shepherd, some villagers attacked another group of herders on Monday morning, killing several cattle and a herder.
“By Tuesday, the herders regrouped and launched a counterattack on the villagers. “The Army Forward Operating Base in Otukpo was said to have been alerted.  However, before the soldiers arrived, the suspected herders had killed three locals identified as Simon Nbach, Adoya Ejigai, and Ejeh Loko,” one security source offered.
“The troops helped to recover the remains of Nbachi, who was said to be the pastor of Flaming Fire Ministry in the village, alongside others. The source who described the killing of the pastor as “mere coincidence and pure collateral damage”, saying there was no way his assailants could have known if he was a pastor or not, disclosed that the Special Adviser on Security to the State Governor, Father Hyacint Alia, Hon. Joseph Har and the council chairman, Hon. Gabriel Adole, have visited the affected community and appealed for calm.
As of the time of filing this report, the community is said to be tension-gripped, as uncertainty looms. The police are yet to issue any statement on the reported incident.
