Fulani herdsmen kill 12 in Benue

Fulani herdsmen have invaded Ugondo, a community in Logo Local Government Area, Benue State, killing no fewer than 15 persons.

SUNDAY PUNCH learnt that the marauders, who razed a part of the community, also took over the deserted villages.

A fleeing member of the attacked community, who spoke to our correspondent, said, “The people were shooting sporadically and the villagers fled, including myself and members of my family for fear of being killed.

“The situation in Ugondo at the moment is scary and we are helpless. It’s as if we are at war. The mission of the invaders is to occupy and take over our villages.

“It’s a pathetic situation because corpses are littering the community though one cannot give a specific number of the dead which should not be less than 15. But I know that the casualty figure could be huge because many have been wounded as bullets continue to fly around.

“The people are also burning down houses, farms and foodstuff as they move into the villages in what looks like a well-coordinated attack.”

When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer, Benue State Police Command, Moses Yamu, confirmed the incident. He noted that five persons had been killed and one injured but that he could not confirm whether the victim later died.

The attack on Logo follows a recent attack on Ukum LGA in the state, where over 30 persons were reportedly killed by the herders.

Meanwhile, a 40-year-old employee of the Nigeria Police Academy, Kano, Mohammed Inuwa AbdulkadIr, was murdered by unidentified persons in the early hours of Friday while on his way to work.

SUNDAY PUNCH learnt that Mohammed was carrying an unspecified amount of money which was said to have been given to him by a food contractor to pay for the supply of some items to the college.

His younger brother, Jafar, said the deceased left his house at Dan Ladi Nassidi Estate between 6.30 am and 7 am on Friday via public transportation with the money given to him the previous night.

“At about 12.30 pm, we were at a hospital in Kano for our sisters’ surgical operation, when the police called with the wife’s phone and asked if there was a man around the premises for a message to be passed to.

“The phone was handed to me, only for me to be told that Mohammed was killed by unknown persons and his body was discovered by the roadside close to Gano Police Division,’’ he said.

Jafar added that his late brother’s iPad was stolen, while his phone was abandoned.