Gbagir, Benue State – Suspected armed herdsmen launched a deadly attack on Gbagir community in Ukum Local Government Area of Benue State in the early hours of Good Friday, killing at least ten people and leaving many others critically injured.
Eyewitnesses say the assailants, armed with AK-47 rifles, stormed the village around 6:00 a.m., targeting residents who were on their way to church to mark the Christian holy day. The victims reportedly include women and children.
According to a local source, the attack followed a similar assault on the neighbouring Chito community on Thursday, where two people were killed.
“This morning, they came to Gbagir and killed 10 people. We are still counting the injured — over 25 of them — and we don’t know how many will survive,” the source lamented.
The grieving residents were seen conveying the remains of the deceased to the palace of the community’s traditional ruler as a symbolic outcry over what they described as government abandonment.
“In all these attacks, no security personnel came to our aid. It feels like we’ve been left to our fate,” the source added.
Attempts to reach the Benue State Police Command for an official response were unsuccessful, as calls to the Police Public Relations Officer, CSP Catherine Anene, went unanswered at the time of filing this report.
The attack adds to a growing list of violent incidents in the state, reigniting calls for urgent government intervention and improved security in rural communities across Benue.
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