No fewer than twelve persons, including five soldiers attached to the 72 Army Battalion in Makurdi, Benue State on Sunday lost their lives as suspected herdsmen attacked Agatu Local Government Area of the state.
The incident made some residents to flee their homes in large number when heavy shooting erupted in the early hours of the day.
The state police Spokesman, Daniel Ezeala, confirmed tha 12 people were killed, but added that the situation has been brought under control.
“Five soldiers and seven civilians were killed on Sunday in Agatu. The situation is under control now with the deployment of enough policemen to the affected areas. Investigation into the matter has commenced,” he said.
Reacting to the development, the state Commissioner for Works, John Ngbede, who hails from the volatile area, alleged that the herdsmen invaded some communities in Agatu at about 10.am on Sunday.
Ngbede added that the attackers killed seven of his kinsmen in Oweto and Utuluewu villages in Agatu, while several others sustained injuries.
The Legislator representing the area at the state House of Assembly, Sule Audu, expressed disgust over the continued attack on his constituents’ “without any seeming solution in sight”.
Audu, whose brother, Isah Onum, a retired soldier was among the seven who were killed, lamented the killing of his people and the destruction of property.
