Herdsmen attack travellers on Benue-Nasarawa road, kill three, injure others

No fewer than three persons have been killed and a few others injured by some armed herders along the Benue-Nasarawa road on Friday.

The gun-wielding herdsmen launched an ambush on the busy Makurdi-Lafia road near Ortese in the Guma Local Government Area of Benue State, resulting in the deaths of three travellers and inflicting severe injuries on several others.

This incident came about a week after armed herders also ambushed and killed three Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs, who went fishing in the Gwer West LGA area of the Benue State.

According to information gathered from a local source, the attackers set up an ambush on the busy Makurdi-Lafia road on Thursday evening and Friday morning, targeting innocent travellers near the Hirnyam, Pevkyaa, and Ortaver villages. The marauders left multiple individuals with grievous injuries.

Mr Christopher Waku, the Security Secretary of Guma Local Government Area, confirmed the development, stating that the attackers had laid ambush for two consecutive days near Ortese, along the Daudu/Ortese road on the Makurdi-Lafia Highway. During these attacks, they shot and killed three individuals, all of whom were local residents.

“It was not a roadblock; the armed herdsmen stood on the Daudu – Ortese road. They killed two persons on Thursday, at about 5 pm, and injured one person who is currently receiving treatment at the Benue State University Teaching Hospital (BSUTH).

“Today, Friday morning, they killed another person, bringing the total fatalities to three. Regrettably, all the victims were local residents,” Waku said.