Tears, tension as gunmen kill two tourists in Kaduna, 11 in Benue

Suspected kidnappers in the early hours of Saturday invaded a resort in the Kajuru Local Government Area of Kaduna State and shot dead  two persons  including an expatriate, a woman.

It was also learnt that the gunmen abducted three persons.

Also in the early hours of Saturday, unidentified gunmen killed 11 persons in  Ngibo and Tse-Aye villages in the Ikyurav-Tiev 1, council ward of Katsina-Ala Local Government Area of Benue State.

Sources told one of our correspondents that after the gunmen killed four persons in Ngibo village and seven in Tse Aye village, they allegedly rustled 28 cattle belonging to one Agwaza Atedze.

Meanwhile, spokesman for the police in Kaduna State, Yakubu Sabo,  confirmed the killing of two persons in the crisis-prone Kajuru.

In a statement, Sabo said  the suspected kidnappers stormed the  resort, popularly  called Kajuru Castle,  and  killed  two  guests believed to be tourists from Lagos on the spot.

He said a patrol team, led by the Kajuru Divisional Police Officer, had removed the bodies to St. Gerard Catholic Hospital in Kaduna metropolis.

He   said investigation later revealed that 12  tourists   from Lagos  were  partying  at the resort  before the incident occurred.

Sabo added, “Normally before such an social event happen, the organisers  would   inform us  for security coverage, but the party was done without the knowledge of the police in the area as traditionally done.”

According to him, the  state Commissioner of Police, Ahmad Abdurrahman, had  promised that they would  apprehend the   perpetrators of the attack.

A source  told one of our correspondents that  the  bandits,  who attacked  Ngibo and Tse Aye, shot indiscriminately immediately they    rode  on  motorcycles  into the villages  between 3am and 4am.

It was learnt  that   many of the villagers  had fled the communities  for fear of another attack.

Spokesman for the police in Benue, DSP Catherine Anene,  confirmed the  incidents.

She said the DPO in charge of Katsina-Ala had responded to directive to deal with the situation.

However, Anene could not confirm the casualty figure.

Also confirming the report, Force Commander of the Operation Whirl Stroke, Maj Gen Adeyemi Yekini, said the clash was between the Shitile and Ikyurav people of the area,  adding that troops had moved to restore calm to the two communities. Punch