Over 90 persons including women and children were allegedly killed by suspected Fulani herdsmen in Benue State on Sunday.
The ugly incident occurred at the Egba village in Agatu Local Government Area of the state.
It was learnt that the attackers, who stormed the village at about 4am, killed their victims, most of whom were fast asleep, in their homes, after which they razed the community, destroying economic trees, food barns and farmland.
“They came from Loko in neighbouring Nasarawa State and started shooting and breaking into people’s houses and who ever they met, including women and children, they hacked or shot.
“At the moment, we have been able to recover about 90 corpses and many injured. The search is continuing but we are facing a major challenge.
“Many survivors with injuries are being evacuated to hospitals, but the problem is that we do not have a hospital in this area that is big enough to cater for the situation we have at hand.”
Reacting to the development, the People’s Democratic Party deputy governorship candidate and an indigene of the area, John Ngbede, described the attack and killings as barbaric and heart-rending. Ngbede said 60 bodies had been recovered from the village at the time he spoke to his people.
Confirming the killing, the Benue State Police Commissioner, Hyacinth Dagala, said his men had arrived the village to restore peace. Dagala, who confirmed the recovery of 30 bodies from the scene, said he would rely more on the report from his men, adding, however, that the search to recover more bodies was ongoing.