No fewer than 16 people are feared dead following an attack by suspected armed herdsmen on Abande settlement in Mbaikyor Ward, Turan, Kwande Local Government Area of Benue State.
The attack occurred on Tuesday afternoon at the Abande market while traders and customers were actively buying and selling. Residents said the assailants stormed the market, opened fire indiscriminately, looted shops, and set parts of the market on fire.
A community leader and former supervisory councillor in Kwande Local Government Area, Mr. Lawrence Akerigba, confirmed that the attackers made away with millions of naira belonging to traders before burning the market.
“Tuesday was Abande market day. People were buying and selling when the herders attacked. They looted shops, took large sums of money, and later set the market ablaze,” Akerigba said.
He added that as of 11:55 p.m., the bodies of some victims had been evacuated to Jato-Aka by operatives of the Mobile Police Force stationed in the area. According to him, a Mobile Police officer, believed to be the unit commander on duty at the time of the attack, was also killed.
Akerigba further disclosed that several residents remain missing, while search and rescue efforts are ongoing.
Blessing Anolaba
Editorial & Creative Correspondent
A storyteller and journalist passionate about telling stories for policy change and impact.
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