January 23, (THEWILL) – Benue State Government has confirmed the invasion by terrorists herdsmen and attack on Abagena community last Thursday, in which a family of six and two others were gruesomely murdered with many sustaining various degrees of injuries.
Abagena is a sprawling community in Makurdi, the Benue State capital, located along the Makurdi-Abuja highway, housing thousands of people displaced from their ancestral homes and living at the Internally Displaced Person (IDP) camp set up by the State Government.
The Special Adviser to the Governor on Security Matters, Colonel Paul Hemba (rtd), said the bandits, who did not come with herds of cattle, were heavily armed and killed people on sight, leaving trails of blood.
“So far, eight corpses including women and children have been recovered while several others seriously injured were evacuated to hospital for treatment. Some of the bodies were beheaded and their heads taken away by the bandits,” he said.
In a statement, the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr Nathaniel Ikyur, quotes the Adviser as saying that security personnel and other villagers have been combing the bushes to recover more victims, who were said to have been shot by the invading terrorists.
He said the attack was unprovoked as the villagers were already set to go to bed in the late hours of that fateful Thursday, when they met their untimely deaths in the hands of the Fulani bandits.
The statement also quotes the Security Adviser as saying that the casualty figure may likely rise as some other persons, who were fatally shot and wounded may not survive the injuries in their chest.
Colonel Hemba listed the names of those killed during the attack to include Acho Gbashaor, Joseph Gbashaor, Eunice Gbashaor, Sewuese Gbashaor, Emberga Gbashaor, Donald Gbashaor, Anshe Dekera, Ancho Kpor and Terlumun Ajoh.
According to the statement, two of those killed were IDPs while the bandits stole two motorcycles belonging to the villagers in the course of the invasion.
When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer for Benue State Police Command, Superintendent of Police, Sewuese Anene, who confined the incident said, “details will be communicated to you as soon as I get it”.
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