An eight
months old baby, a nursing mother including an eight year old boy and ten
others have been confirmed dead in a bloody robbery attack on villages in
Sengev council ward of Katsina/Ala local government area of Benue state.
Saturday
Vanguard learned from a source who craved anonymity that the victims were
murdered in cold blood last Wednesday evening while on their way from farm.
He
said, “the gang who we suspected to be ‘Gana’s’ men came from Gbishe which used
to be their stronghold before now, in a commando fashion to rob in the village
but they met a stiff resistance from the vigilante group in the area.”
“Two
members of the gang who were about five were capture and set ablaze by the
people, only for those that escaped to stage a come back shortly after this
time well prepared for a bloody fight and started shooting sporadically,
killing anybody they met on their way.
“It was in that madness that they killed
the innocent woman and her children who at the time were running back home for
fear of being killed in the farm and several other persons including livestock
were also hacked down.
“At this time the people in the villages had started
fleeing from their homes but those they caught up with were gunned down after
which the well armed men beat a retreat.”
“As I speak with you, the area has
been deserted while security operatives have moved in to patrol the community.”
Corroborating the story, the Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, for Benue
state, Assistant Superintendent, ASP, Moses Yamu who confirmed the death of the
toddlers and their mother blamed the killings on the wanted militia leader,
Terwase Agwaza also known as ‘Gana’. According to Yamu, a five man gang of
armed men and loyalists of the ‘Gana’ besieged Sengev council ward, a community
less than ten kilometres from the Gbishe where they were resisted by members of
the vigilante group who also lynched two members of the gang. He said, “One of
those lynched was later identified as ‘Chemical’ and a lady harbouring them was
also killed, while the other three escaped to Gbise village and mobilised for
reprisal. “On return, they could not gain access to Sengev because the youths
of the village had mobilised to protect their area. The robbers anchored at
Kenvenger village which is next to Senga village, shot and killed on the spot
ten persons including one Terseer Akaya, a driver from Katsina-Ala who went to
convey farm produce from his farm. “Also killed in that attack was an eight
month old baby, an eight year old child with their mother and six others, while
five other persons who were injured were rushed to NKST hospital at Kera,
Katsina-Ala for medical attention.” Yamu said the Commissioner of Police, Mr
Bashir Makama had deployed enough men to patrol the area in order to prevent
further breach of peace and urged the people to remain calm but report
suspicious persons in their neighbourhood to the Police.
Vanguardngr
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