Sixteen people including a retired army officer have been cut down by gunmen who raided Wandor, Mbaikyor community in the Gwer East Local Government Area of Benue State.
The incident which occurred Thursday night saw the attackers numbering about 40 and well armed, randomly shooting and burning down houses, destroying farmlands and storage barns.
One of the survivors who spoke to Vanguard narrated the community members’ ordeal.
“They came through Mbasombo into our village. There is a Fulani settlement close to the boundary between Ihyravye and Ayar. We know the Alhaji who has caused this because we had earlier arrested three of his boys and handed them over to the police at Aliade. It was documented. But the boys were later released.
“It is that Alhaji that is operating on this axis. In fact, a retired military officer who was following up on the case, MWO Mbatsavbun Gbatar (retd.), who is the community security adviser who reported the case, was among those killed.
“They took us by surprise. They came numbering over 40 at about 7 p.m.; some had guns and others had cutlasses. And the operation lasted for over three hours. As I’m talking to you now, over 50 houses have been burnt.”
“Immediately they came and started shooting. I put a call through to someone and asked him to tell the Divisional Police Officer, DPO, what was happening. If we had immediate interventions, they probably wouldn’t have set the houses ablaze. One of the victims was burnt alive in a house; we had to wrap him up and take him out of his house.”
Communities affected include Tse-Agernor, Tse-Najime, Tse-Wandor, Wandor Market Square, Tse-Ate, Tse-Anyol, Tse-Abagi, Tse-Ifian, Tse-Ukombor, Tse-Girgi Akwaya, Tse-Tion Ukpa, and Tse-Abuur.
