Suspected armed herders have reportedly killed 16 farmers in Kwande local government area and dropped their bodies inside River Katsina-Ala, a tributary of River Benue.
Pointblanknews.com gathered that three Cocoa traders who were returning from a business trip in the state were also hacked to deaths after the armed men allegedly waylaid them in a Hummer bus and burnt them alive together with the Cocoa fruits near Kashimbilla, in neighbouring Taraba State.
A source from the Kwande local government area who is also a community leader, Mr Lawrence Akerigba, confirmed the ugly incident on phone to journalists in Makurdi.
According to him, the armed terrorists crossed into Kwande last Saturday where they launched the attack, burning down several houses.
Mr Akerigba lamented that the ever-busy Jato-Aka/Kashimbilla road has now become a death trap as armed herdsmen now lay siege to innocent travellers, massacre and throw their bodies into the river.
“As I speak with you, 16 innocent people who were returning from the market lost their lives in the hands of the killers who killed them and threw their bodies in River Katsina-Ala, a tributary of River Benue.
“Families of the slain victims have continued to search for corpses of their people but in vain and tears”, Akerigba exclaimed.
He appealed for the deployment of troops to help contain the situation as soldiers already on ground are not enough to meet the security challenges being faced by people in the affected communities.
Another source and a former councillor for Moon council ward near Cameroon, Jacob Ubi, frowned at the ongoing spate of insecurity confronting Kwande local government area and urged both the state and Federal governments to demarcate the boundary between Benue and Taraba States as part of strategies to end years of intractable bloodshed.
“The state government has since neglected the people of the area, and has refused to listen to their cries, and appeal to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to establish a police barrack and construct access roads to attract meaningful development in the now deserted communities.
“Jato Aka which remains the only safe place for all displaced people in the area, has been overpopulated with victims as most public places have now been occupied by IDPs. At the moment, all schools in Jato Aka have been shut down while markets have been grounded for fear of attack by the invading armed herdsmen”, he said