Gunmen suspected to be herdsmen are said to have invaded Anyiin community, the council headquarters of Logo local government area of Benue State, killing 17 residents.
AFRIPOST gathered that the nephew of the former governor of the state, Bobo Suswam was among the residents that were killed.
Clement Kav, the chairman of the Logo Local Council, confirmed the tragedy to The Guardian, saying that two dead bodies were originally discovered at Ayilamo and ten more at Anyiin yesterday morning.
Adegwa, a resident of Anyiin, told the aforementioned publication two hours later that five additional bodies had been found, raising the total number of fatalities to 17.
Kav further said that the state government had called him and other local traditional leaders to the Government House in Makurdi to report on the issue.
Meanwhile, Internally Displaced People (IDPs) were moved from the Nepa IDP camp to a new mega camp in Tse Dei, Mbayongo, in Guma Local Council by the Benue State Government yesterday.
The IDPs had been rendered homeless after being the targets of earlier attacks by herdsmen militias.
At the mega camp, Benue State Ministry of Humanitarian and Disaster Management Permanent Secretary Alexander Tsaga informed reporters that 835 displaced people were being moved to the new site.
Tsaga referred reporters to the Benue State Emergency Management Agency (BSEMA) and declined to comment when asked if the new camp was in keeping with the government’s previous pledge to resettle IDPs.
He clarified that BSEMA was in charge of issues about the resettlement.
“The camp was designed to include essential social amenities to support a communal lifestyle for the displaced,” said Sir James Iorpuu, Executive Secretary of BSEMA.
Iorpuu, speaking on behalf of Ager Tema, the Benue SEMA Information Officer, pointed out that the camp had a market, schools, churches, and recreational spaces.
Three former IDP camps at Tse Baka, Nepa, and Ichua have already been relocated to the new location, he disclosed further.
