Benue: Tears, tension as armed herders kill three community volunteer guards, three others
Three members of the Benue State Community Volunteer Guards, BSCVGs, and three others have been reportedly killed in a fresh attack on two communities in Guma Local Government Area, LGA, of Benue state. It was gathered that the victims were killed Tuesday night when the marauders stormed Tse Gyer and Ayem communities in Mbawa Council Ward of Guma LGA.
The Executive Secretary of Benue State Emergency Management Agency, SEMA, Dr. Emmanuel Shior, who confirmed the killings Wednesday in Daudu, Guma LGA after the corpses of the victims were deposited at the morgue in the town, listed the names of the victims which included Timothy Mbawa, Sunfay Igber and Aondowase Asema who were members of the BSCVGs. As well as Akombo Igyever, Sunday Semaka and Aloysius Ayua.
Shior lamented that the attack had led to the displacement of many who had been taken to the existing Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs, camps at Daudu and Ukpiam in Guma LGA. Confirming the attack, the Security Adviser to Governor Samuel Ortom, Lt Col. Paul Hemba (retd) said “three members of the Benue State Community Volunteer Guards, and other hunters were killed, Tuesday, by suspected bandits while on a joint patrol with policemen.
“They were ambushed by armed herdsmen between Ortese and Ngban villages. The armed herders went away with the weapons and handsets belonging to the deceased. And they have been calling to claim that the government in the state promised to give them land in the area to settle and graze.”
Lamemting the development, the District Head of Mbanyiar community in Guma LGA, Chief Oliver Achado, appealed to the Federal Government to rise up to its responsibility of securing the lives and property of his people by sending adequate security to Benue state and Guma LGA in particular.
Chief Achado said his people had all become IDPs in their own state because of the activities of armed herders, stressing that,”it is a disgrace that non of us can go to our homes or farmlands. None of us are from Daudu town but we have left our villages to live in Daudu town. As the rainy season has come, nobody can go to the farm. Those who went yesterday, Tuesday, were killed, six of them.
“We have been appealing to the federal government through our Governor Samuel Ortom, but we have not seen any change. We are again appealing to our President, Muhammadu Buhari to send Security to come down and defend us.
“In Daudu alone, you see IDPs camp one, two and three. Others are sleeping in uncompleted buildings. When the rains come, they suffer from it. All our schools are not functioning, all the schools in Mbawa, Ashiriu, Mbagwen, Mbabai, Mbadwen, Uvir are closed. All the teachers and their pupils are in the IDP camps because of the attacks. So we are begging the Federal Government to come to our aid.”
When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer, Superintendent, SP, Catherine Anene, said she was yet to receive the report of the incident. Vanguard
