Gunmen suspected to be Fulani herdsmen have attacked an Agatu community in Benue State on Wednesday and killed 16 people while many others were injured.
It will be recalled that suspected Fulani herdsmen attacked some communities in Agatu Local Government Area of the state in 2016, leaving hundreds of people dead.
16 persons were murdered in their sleep by the suspected Fulani herders, who attacked in the early hours of Wednesday.
It was gathered that the herdsmen attacked Ebete community under Usha ward of the Agatu Local Government Area of the state in the night.
Confirming the incident, a Supervisory Councillor of Finance and Administration in Agatu Local Government, John Ikulono, said the herdsmen stormed the community around 1am on Wednesday.
Ikulono added that an indigene of Ebete community, identified as Daddy Seni,who lost his father and siblings in the attack, reported the killings to the council.
He said, “Daddy Seni, whose father was also killed alongside his siblings, reported the incident. Daddy Seni left his father at Ebete to go to Aloko for fishing. It was while he was on the way that he received a call from his father that he had been shot by Fulani herdsmen. The father asked him to come back home.
“On reaching home, he saw his father lying in the pool of his own blood gasping for breath. He rushed to take him to the hospital but he said the father told him not to worry as he had lost so much blood.
“Daddy Seni said, his father said, ‘my son, don’t bother about me and your siblings again, ours have finished, we can’t survive these gunshots, run for your dear life to tell others about this.”
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The supervisory councillor said that the officials of the council and some security men thereafter followed Daddy Seni to the affected community.
Three hunters were reportedly among the 16 killed.
Meanwhile, the Commander, Operation Whirl Stroke, Maj. Gen. Adeyemi Yekini, who confirmed the incident through a statement, did not give the casualty figure.
He stated, “I received a report this afternoon that some people were killed in Agatu by suspected bandits. I’m not sure of the number of casualty now but I don’t think it’s up to 16.
“We have sent a patrol team to the general area where the incident happened. The location where it happened, although the crime scene is in Benue State, it can be better accessed through Loko in Nasarawa State.
“We are already sending a patrol team there to verify what really happened.”