Six people have sadly died, and several others got hurt after two attacks by armed herdsmen in Iwari and Olegagbane, two villages in Agatu Local Government Area, Benue State.
A local person, who didn’t want to share their name, said these attacks happened on Friday evening. The person explained that one person was killed in the Iwari community and five people were killed in the Olegagbane community.
“Lately, the Agatu villages have been attacked often by these herdsmen. They come, cause trouble, and then leave.
“On Friday, these armed herdsmen attacked the Iwari community, killing one person and hurting several others. On the same day, they also attacked the Olegagbane community, killing five people and injuring many more without any reason,” the person told DAILY POST.
The attackers ran away after causing harm, but the villagers identified them as armed herdsmen.
Mr. Phillip Ebenyakwu, who is the chairman of Agatu Local Government Area, confirmed these sad events and worried about the ongoing violence in the area.
“These attackers come, kill, steal, and then run away. I don’t know why they do this, but the situation is very bad. I am talking with security forces, and they are trying to help,” he said.
Ebenyakwu also mentioned that over 2,000 people from seven villages had to leave their homes because of these attacks, and it is hard to take care of all these displaced people.
“There are too many people without homes now. Even though the State Emergency Management Agency gave some help, it’s not enough,” he added.
Meanwhile, Police Public Relations Officer Superintendent Catherine Anene said she didn’t have any information about the attacks yet.