The Benue State Police Command has confirmed that 17 people were killed in the simultaneous mayhem on communities in Logo and Ukum Local Government Areas between Thursday and Friday by suspected armed Fulani herdsmen.
In a statement on Friday, spokesperson of the command CSP Catherine Anene said a large group of armed militia invaded the Sankera axis on Thursday evening and unleashed violence on the Gbagir area of Ukum and Katsina-Ala in Logo.
Anene said that the Commissioner of Police, CP Steve H. Yabanet, immediately ordered tactical teams to reinforce officers already in the area and collaborate with other security agencies to repel the attackers.
The police spokesperson explained that following the order, a team of officers moved to the area and engaged the herdsmen.
While the attackers were being repelled in the early hours of today, they shot sporadically at unsuspecting farmers as they came across them,” she stated.
According to Anene, five persons were found in the Gbagir area and taken to a hospital, where they were confirmed dead.
She further disclosed that an unsuspected simultaneous attack was carried out in Logo, where twelve (12) persons were killed before the arrival of the police, making a total of seventeen persons.
Anene further revealed that security agencies were still actively engaging the assailants as they retreated into the forests near the Taraba axis.
The police spokesperson also issued a caution to the public regarding misinformation and affirmed the command’s commitment to tackling insecurity.
