Bloody protests has erupted in Benue state as gunmen suspected to be Fulani herdsmen have allegedly killed a Tiv man on his farm in the state.
The incident has reportedly triggered serious protest as angry youths came out to block the ever-busy Otukpo – Makurdi expressway.
We learnt that motorists plying the road were held to a standstill.
The incident has reportedly triggered serious protest as angry youths came out to block the ever-busy Otukpo – Makurdi expressway
According to an eyewitness, Peters Ozofor said: “Some Fulani herdsmen killed a Tiv man on his farm few minutes ago and since then, the Tivs have blocked the road therefore no car can go through the express way.
“So far, an innocent passenger has been killed and a driver injured. Every other car including ours is packed on the highway.”
Meanwhile, confirming the incident, Asp. Moses Yamu, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) for the command in the state claimed that the incident occurred in Tse Igba Uke village after suspected herdsmen killed one of the villagers over alleged attack on their cattle.
A reprisal attack by suspected herdsmen on Tse Igba Uke and Aliade villages in Gwer Local Government Area of Benue has left one person dead and many others injured, the police have confirmed.
He said the suspected herdsmen carried out the attack on Wednesday night, following an attack on their cattle by some youths of the village.
He also said the corpse of the villager killed during the incident had been deposited at the Aliade General Hospital and the injured receiving treatment in the same hospital.
Yamu said that angry youths took to the streets,on Thursday, following the reprisal attack on the village and barricaded Aliade Federal highway to protest the killing of one of their own.
Aliade Federal highway is a major exit route to the southern part of the country.
He, however, assured that the police personnel had been drafted to the place to quell the protest and restore normalcy.
He said: “We got reports today that suspected herdsmen attacked Tse Igba Uke village, killed one Sunday Kachuwa and injured Zongu Aliade over alleged attack on their cattle. The corpse was removed to General hospital while the injured is undergoing treatment.
“In another development, youths at Ikpayongo blocked the road in protest of the killing and killed a passenger in the process. Policemen led by the CP cleared the road and restored normalcy to the area.
“The command frowns at jungle justice and appeals to the general public to desist from taking laws into their hands.”
A resident also told Premium Times that two people were killed by the herdsmen, before a retaliatory attack by the youth.
“Fulani herdsmen killed two young men and in retaliation, the young men from the village organised themselves and attacked a Fulani settlement and killed one Fulani man."
“However, the intervention of an Air Force unit in the area that tried to stop the violence led to the death of many more villagers.”
The deaths was said to have led to the villagers anger where they blocked the highway and demanded to be addressed by a federal lawmaker from the area, Mark Gbillah.
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