Shock and unbelief is still gripping the people of Tse-Alaaigyu, Ikyaghev district of Naka in Gwer-West Local Government Area of Benue State after the killing and beheading of five of their people by a lunatic, Edwin Gyado.
Edwin, a 27-year old NCE graduate of the Calvin College of Education, has had a history of insanity, which is said to also run in his family. He had for a long time suffered from mental illness before being taken to the Federal Medical Centre, Makurdi where he was treated for his insanity and discharged.
Unknown to his people, he had suffered a relapse which was not known until he went on rampage, killing his brothers, a women and children.
Sources in Naka, the local government headquarters said that the culprit popularly called Nomjov slaughtered some of his victims just few metres from their homes at the Naka earth dam, where he also had his local block moulding industry.
It was gathered that he lured his victims by inviting them to the factory site where he pretended that he wanted to show them something interesting before he ended up slaughtering them.
The outraged community members meted out justice on the insane young man by beating him to death in revenge for the bizarre killings of his victims.
Daniel Gyado, his elder brother who works as a health worker at the local government secretariat told our correspondent that until his mental illness, Edwin had lived a normal live and interacted well with the people.
He recalled how on Saturday 19th January, 2013, Edwin bitterly complained to him that his in-laws were putting pressure on him to complete his bride price on his wife which he said was a directive from the gods.
“When he told me that, I encouraged him not to be worried, and I assured him that we would pay his wife’s bride price after consultations with the village head,” he said.
Daniel added that he was shocked the next day when someone called him to inform that his younger brother had gone on a killing spree in the village, killing five persons including a woman and her daughter, whom he hacked to death.
“I could not believe it and so, I set out to look for him. Someone told me that he was spotted at Imande village, some few minutes from here, but later I discovered that a mob had killed him at the Makurdi road in Naka town,” he said.
A childhood friend of Edwin, Zaki Tor Gbenda, narrated how the insane young man killed a 30-year old woman, Mrs Nyishima Tyosue, a native of Tse-Dzwatema, Gbaage/Tongov.
“The murdered woman was my uncle’s wife. I watched from afar as the woman pursued Edwin with a stick after he had killed his nine-year old son, Terhile Tyosue with a machete. Her strength failed and she fell down. Edwin, who she was chasing suddenly came after her, caught up with her and ordered her to kneel down. and in a jiffy, I saw him chop off the woman’s head with the machete. I shouted and he ran after me,” Zaki narrated as he tried control his tears.
Before then, he had invited his 15-year old brother, Iorguma to his block moulding site under the pretence of showing him something. While there, he chopped of his brother’s head. It was after then that he suddenly started pursuing people on the streets and a community earth dam where he caught up with 10-year old Dangote Samuel of Tse-Uchough Nyamshi village and another nine-year old, Joy Ortwav, both of whom he seriously injured with his machete but later died at the Federal Medical Centre, Apir.
“It was after this last killings that the people became aware of his escapades, so youths in the village mobilized and searched the entire village until they found him hiding in the bush in a nearby village. They had contemplated taking him to the police but they finally resolved to mete out jungle justice on him by beating him to death.”
In her comments on the unfortunate incident, the Chairman of Gwer-West Local Council, Mrs Eunice Mbajwa described the incidents as horrifying as she could not comprehend the killings.
“For sometime now, I’ve not been able to sleep well nor have I been able to resume work, it’s indeed saddening. But generally, we have ensured that peace prevailed in the entire community”, Mrs. Mbajwa said.
At the time of visiting the troubled village, some youths were seen digging the grave for the deceased mad man while his shocked wife who had been sobbing uncontrolably managed to utter these words, “my husband was a nice man. I never envisaged that he would commit such an act.”
Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, in charge of the state,Deputy Superintendent of Police Daniel Ezeala who also confirmed the incident, decried the villagers resort to jungle justice but added that the command was investigating the matter to ascertain if the man was actually insane.