Suspected Fulani gunmen kill 30 in Benue, Nasarawa

Suspected Fulani gunmen on Saturday evening and Sunday morning attacked and killed 30 persons, mostly women and children, in Guma, Kwande, Buruku and Keana Local Government Areas of Benue and Nasarawa states.

Suspected Fulani Gunmen Kill Soldier, 32 Villagers In Kaduna

Armed men suspected to be Fulani herdsmen, on Tuesday night raided three communities in Sanga Local Government Area, in the Southern part of Kaduna State, killing no fewer than 32 villagers. The attackers, it was learnt, also killed a soldier and injured four others in an ambush.

Suspected Cultists Kill Five, Torch Houses in a Makurdi Community, Benue State

PALPABLE fear has engulfed residents of Agboughul community in Makurdi, the Benue state capital as five people were allegedly killed by rampaging cultists, who also set some houses in the area ablaze.

The Guardian gathered from the community that the rampaging invaders have also forced the six traditional rulers within the area and their families to desert the locality over fear of the unknown, since it was believed that most of the victims of the attack were innocent people, who are not members of any of the other cult groups.

An elderly man in the area who spoke to journalists under condition of anonymity said: “My son, as you can see, I am the only elderly person remaining in this community, every other person has left with their families to the hinterland and Makurdi town or to the nearby villages to save their lives.”

“These wicked boys (cultists) are fond of operating in the night or sometimes in the day time. The moment they see a house they want to attack, they will strike and yesterday they killed five people. Nobody is sleeping in this area peacefully, and I want to tell you that even the traditional rulers about six of them are no longer here. They have run away with their families. But as for me, I don’t know where to run to and I am still here”, the old man revealed.

The old man continued that even as a detachment of armed mobile policemen as well as men of the Special Anti Robbery Squad (SARS) are on a daily patrol of the area to help maintain law and order, peace has continue to elude the community as the bad boys always find loophole to strike when security is lax.

While commending the efforts of the police and vigilante group in trying to maintain the peace in the community, the aged man particularly lauded the efforts of the vigilante people whom he said stay till daybreak in providing security to the people.

The Guardian recalls that the Agboughul community in Makurdi has over the years been known for communal and cult uprisings, which had at several instances rendered people dead.

The State Police Public Relations Officer, Daniel Ezeala denied knowledge of the killings and burning of houses, saying if there was any attack, the police would have known, assuring that the command was on top of the situation of the security situation in the state.

Guardian Newspaper

Suspected Fulani Herdsmen Kill 5 In Early Morning Attack On Kaduna Village

At least five people have been killed by gunmen suspected to be Fulani herdsmen in an early morning attack on Fadan Karshi village in Sanga Local Government Area of Kaduna State, on Friday, July 18.
The latest attack comes less than a month after about 200 people were killed in seven communities within the
same local government.

The Local Government Chairman, Mr Emmanuel Adamu told Channels Television on telephone, that the
gunmen stormed the village at about 4:45am and started shooting at people and in the process killed five natives and injured many others.
Those who could run were able to escape the onslaught, leaving the weak and aged who fell victims of the attack.

Sanga Local Government Area of Kaduna State, has witnessed so many violent attacks by suspected Fulani
herdsmen since the beginning of this year.

In the meantime, the council chairman said soldiers have been drafted to the area to beef up security in the area.

Courtesy:
Channels Television

More Than 50 Die In Ethno-Religious-Violence in Taraba State, Nigeria.

More than 50 people have died today in a violent religious and ethnic conflict that engulfed Taraba State today. A military source who spoke to our reporter added that many more people sustained serious injuries.

Our source disclosed that the ethno-religious fight broke out in Wukari and Ibi towns in Taraba State. “In addition to those who died, over 100 people are badly injured and receiving medical attention in several hospitals in the state,” said the military source.

According to the military officer, “The fight started in Wukari and we were drafted there. While we were there, we received a report that the fight had escalated to Ibi town. Some soldiers were then drafted there and they are carrying out patrols now, but I and a troop of soldiers remain in Wukari.”

The soldier, who disclosed that the fight broke out between Hausa-Fulani Muslims and Jukun Christians, revealed that he and other soldiers had counted more than 50 corpses on both sides of the combatants in addition to more than 100 injured victims.

The military source reported that the warring sides had destroyed and burnt numerous houses and business premises. He stated that hundreds of displaced people had fled the area for safety. He also reported that the combatants used sophisticated weapons in carrying out their attacks. “If we had not arrived in full force to contain the situation, many more people would have died because of the caliber of weapons used in this war,” he said. He assured that the soldiers deployed to the two affected towns would be equal to the task of maintaining peace.

Source:
SR