An armed confrontation between soldiers of “Operation Whirl Stroke” and armed herdsmen in Tse Chiata, Guma Local Government Area of Benue State has left several of the herdsmen dead.
The exchange of gunfire reportedly lasted from Thursday morning to around midday.
According to reports, the soldiers destroyed an armed outpost established by the herdsmen in the area after overpowering them in the gun duel.
The armed herdsmen are said to occupy Mbagwen Community, a border town between Benue and Nasarawa States.
The Chairman of Guma LGA, Anthony Shawon, while confirming the incident, said, “In fact, there is one ‘barrack’ they established at Tse Chiata village and immediately they saw the military on patrol in the area they opened fire on them but the military took them on. The battle lasted from morning till about mid day before the military overpowered the armed herdsmen.
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“The military also succeeded in burning down the ‘barrack’ which the herdsmen code named ’72 battalion’ at Tse Chiata. When the military overran them they left but the military discovered that they have a bigger ‘barrack’ in front but they could not reach it.
“The herdsmen have already taken over about seven kilometers of Benue land from the border between Nasarawa and Benue states, where they freely graze after chasing the locals away.
“None of our people who own the communities can access their homes and farmland again.
“Unfortunately, all the bridges in that area have been burnt and destroyed by the militant herdsmen so the military cannot reach those places.
“Our fear is that even our people who are farming now are scared because by November the herdsmen would sack the people from the farms and harvest their crops. That is what they have been doing to us.
“The situation at the moment is that the military are in total control and if not for them none of us would have been able to go back to our homes and farms.”