The incursion of suspected herdsmen into parts of Benue State took a worrisome dimension yesterday afternoon when they stormed Tombo in Buruku Local Government Area of the state, killing no fewer than 15 persons in a bloody shootout.
It was learnt that the marauders, who razed parts of the community, took over the deserted villages. According to a source, who spoke on phone from the besieged community, “as I speak with you the people are shooting sporadically and the villagers are fleeing.
“The situation in Tombo at the moment is scary and we are helpless; it is as if we are in a war situation where the mission of the invaders is to occupy and take over our villages.
“It is a pathetic situation because corpses litter the community. Though one cannot give a specific number of casualties, it cannot be less than 15. I know it could be huge because many have been wounded as bullets continue to fly around.
“The people are also burning houses, farms and food stuff as they move into the villages in what looked like a well-coordinated attack.”
When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer, Assistant Superintendent Moses Yamu, who confirmed that seven persons had been killed, said the incident occurred at about 3p.m. Yamu disclosed that the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Paul Yakadi, had led a team to the crisis zone to ascertain the cause of the renewed clash.
Credit: Vanguard
