At least 18 residents were killed in an attack by gunmen on Mbacher, a community in Katsina-Ala County (Local Government Area) of Benue State, on Friday night.
Reports by local media say the gunmen, suspected to be local “bandits,” but in fact were members of an armed gang of Tiv-tribesmen, stormed the community around 11:00 p.m. local time, defying a curfew imposed by the state government. The execution of 18 people on July 19 was a reprisal against local authorities for arresting three weeks earlier a criminal gang, according to TruthNigeria reporter Ekani Olikita in Makurdi. A TruthNigeria explainer of this complex situation is planned for publication this week.
The attackers reportedly went from house to house, forcing residents outside before killing them. According to Justine Shaku, the county chairman, “All of them were assembled in one place and killed.”
Shaku said he received a distress call from villagers that a group of armed men were forcing people out of their houses. He alerted the military, but by the time the military arrived at the scene, the gunmen had already killed 18 and abducted three others.
The abducted individuals are reported to be a father and his two children. The Benue State Police Command has also confirmed the incident, reporting that an investigation is ongoing.
—Ezinwanne Onwuka reports for TruthNigeria from Abuja.
