Pregnant Woman, Four Others Killed In Benue

 

A pregnant woman and four others were on Thursday, March 16, shot dead by some unknown gunmen at Ayati in Ukum local government area of Benue state.

Vanguard reports that several other individuals were injured in the attack launched by the gunmen who rode on motorbikes.

 It was gathered that the attackers stormed the community at about 8 pm, took strategic positions from where they gunned down their unsuspecting victims.

 A top politician from the community who spoke on condition of anonymity said the pregnant woman was on her way to a funeral when the incident occurred.

He said the woman and the four other died on the spot before they could receive any form of medical attention.

“Beside the five, several other persons sustained varying degrees of injury from strayed bullets but they were rushed to hospitals in the area for treatment but the remains of the dead have been deposited at the mortuary of the General Hospital in the area," the politician said.

 He said the incident was reported to the police immediately, although, the gunmen fled the community after the attack.

He said: “I wonder why we should be killing each other when we are yet to overcome the invasion of our communities by Fulani herdsmen."

“Our traditional rulers must take decisive action to end these killings, and also fish out the masterminds because they cannot claim not to know them since they come from among us,” he said.

Meanwhile, the spokesperson of the police in the state Moses Yamu, an assistant superintendent of who confirmed the attack said investigations were ongoing.

Yamu however noted that no arrest has been made on the matter.

On Thursday, March 16, the Benue state governor Samuel Ortom gave an order mandating all herdsmen to leave the state.

The governor has also come under attack over his directive, including the police commission in the state has said that the governor cannot ban all herdsmen from the state.