No fewer than eighteen persons have been reportedly killed by suspected herdsmen in a fresh attack on the Iye Community in Guma Local Government Area of Benue State.
It was learnt that some of the victims, mostly women and children, were beheaded and their bodies burnt during the attack.
Also, many residents of the community were critically injured and their houses and food barns were also burnt down.
Narrating how the attack was carried out, a resident, who lost a relation to the incident and preferred anonymity, said herdsmen stormed the community around 6.00pm on Sunday while some of the residents were in the market.
The resident said: “Fulani herdsmen attacked Iye community around 6.00pm on Sunday. They killed over eighteen people, including my brother. They also injured several others and burnt down many houses. The attack occurred on Iye market day when people were busy trading.
“This attack is unfortunate because we were displaced from our village, Tse-Orvihi in Uvir Council Ward of the same Guma LGA and my family members took refuge at Iye, where they now came and killed my brother yesterday.”
Confirming the incident newsmen, the Benue State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Julius Alawari, disclosed that seven corpses were recovered from the scene of the attack.
According to him: “A combined team of Operation Whirl Stroke, the Police, and the Volunteer Guards confronted and repelled them. One of the attackers was also killed.”