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🇳🇬 Nigeria /Conflict & Security

Gunmen Kill Three Mourners, Kidnap Two in Benue Attack

From The Punch · (5m ago) English Critical tone

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

TLDR

  • Three mourners were killed and two others kidnapped by armed men in Sati-Ikov Council Ward, Ushongo Local Government Area, Benue State.
  • The attack occurred Saturday night as the victims were returning from a burial, with residents identifying the assailants as local militias.
  • A local lawmaker decried the rising activities of militias in the area, noting that the community has become a battlefield, and reported the incident to the police.

Tragedy has struck the Sati-Ikov Council Ward in Benue State's Ushongo Local Government Area, where three individuals returning from a burial were brutally killed and two others abducted by armed assailants on Saturday night. The incident, which has instilled fear among residents, highlights the escalating insecurity plaguing the region.

Some mourners who were returning from a burial were attacked close to our community, Sati-Ikov, on Saturday night by local militias. Three of them were killed, and two others, a male and a female, were kidnapped.

— A local residentDescribing the attack and its immediate aftermath.

Local sources, speaking anonymously for fear of reprisal, identified the attackers as local militias. The victims, all young men, were returning from a burial ceremony when they were ambushed. Among those killed were Bem Msughter, Aondo Chia, and Sunday Terwase. The kidnapped individuals have been identified as Aondongu Amos, a POS operator, and Mrs. Arinze, an Igbo patent medicine trader.

I received a call from my people today (Sunday) at about 4 am that yesterday (Saturday) night, they went for a burial and on their way back, they ran into armed men. The armed men shot and killed three of them and collected their bags. They also robbed some residents there and kidnapped two people. The victims were all young men.

— Simon GaboConfirming the details of the attack and the identities of the victims.

Simon Gabo, the lawmaker representing Ushongo Constituency, confirmed the attack and expressed deep concern over the persistent activities of local militias. He described the community as having been turned into a battlefield over the past two weeks, resulting in numerous deaths. Gabo alleged that the armed groups often cross from the Katsina-Ala Local Government Area, utilizing the mountainous and forested terrain to launch attacks before retreating. He has reported the matter to the police, who have dispatched personnel to the area. The spokesperson for the Benue State Police Command could not be reached for comment at the time of filing this report. This latest incident underscores the dire security situation in Benue State, where residents live in constant fear.

So they cross from there to our side, attack and return to their side. It is a mountainous area with large forests.

— Simon GaboExplaining the modus operandi of the armed groups and the challenging terrain.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by The Punch in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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