At least 23 farmers and villagers were killed between Friday and Saturday in a series of renewed attacks across four Local Government Areas in Benue State: Logo, Kwande, Ukum, and Guma.
According to findings by Sunday PUNCH, eight farmers were brutally killed early Saturday morning in Jootar, a community in Ukum LGA.
The victims, who had spent the night in the area, were reportedly ambushed on their way to their farms.
Speaking anonymously, a local source said, “The farmers were killed on their way to farm. But we cannot confirm whether the killers were armed herders or Jukun militia.”
Jootar, a border community between Taraba and Benue states, has long been a hotspot for clashes between the Tiv and Jukun ethnic groups.
On Friday, suspected armed herders launched another assault, this time on the Ayilamo community in Logo Local Government Area, resulting in the deaths of nine people.
READ ALSO: Fresh Herdsmen Attack Claim Nine Lives In Benue
Additional attacks in Kwande and Guma LGAs claimed three lives each, bringing the total number of casualties to 23, according to findings by Sunday PUNCH.
Confirming the Jootar incident, the state Commissioner for Information, Mathew Abo, said, “The report I received is that eight farmers were killed in Jootar early Saturday morning on their way to the farm. The area is a border community between Tiv and Jukun, and there has been an ongoing crisis between the two groups. We cannot say for sure who was responsible.”
At the time this report was filed, Abo stated he could not verify the additional killings reported in Guma, Logo, and Kwande Local Government Areas.
Attempts to contact the state police command’s spokesperson, Catherine Anene, were unsuccessful, as she did not respond to phone calls or text messages.
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