Armed herders kill 7, including infant, abduct mother in Benue community attack

Suspected armed herders have launched another deadly assault on Agbo Vengav Udam community in Gwer West Local Government Area of Benue State resulting in the deaths of at least seven residents.

Residents reported that the assailants stormed the village around 7 p.m. on Thursday, April 24, unleashing a barrage of gunfire on the unsuspecting inhabitants.

Speaking via a telephone conversation on Friday, April 25, a local resident revealed that the attackers had used a border village in Otukpo Local Government Area as their route to carry out the assault.

“They passed through the border village of Otukpo and entering into Agbo, they shot their guns sporadically, killing the seven people on the spot. They took away three people with them,” the resident said.

Reports indicate that an infant was among those killed, while the child’s mother was abducted by the attackers.

A witness revealed that five of the victims’ bodies have been deposited at a morgue in Naka, while the families of the remaining two chose to bury their loved ones immediately.

The attack has sparked fear among residents, forcing many to flee their homes to avoid further violence.

Victor Ormin, chairman of Gwer West Local Government Area, confirmed the incident on Friday.

Expressing deep concern, Ormin condemned the killings, noting that they occurred shortly after the hijacking of commercial vehicles and the abduction of passengers.

He blamed suspected armed herders for the ongoing violence in the area.

“It’s true that scores of people were killed at Vengav Udam village within the local government Thursday night,” Omin said.

“Two people who are critically injured during the attack are receiving treatment in Naka hospital and the situation is becoming unbearable considering the way these armed herders are wreaking havoc in the local government area and the state as whole.”

Earlier on Thursday, armed men ambushed two commercial vehicles roughly three kilometers from Naka, the administrative center of Gwer West Local Government Area, and kidnapped 14 passengers.