Gunmen suspected to be bandits attacked the Mbacher community in the Mbacher council ward of Katsina-Ala Local Government Area in Benue State on Friday night, killing 18 people.
According to local government sources, bandits broke the state government’s curfew and stormed the community about 11 p.m. on Friday, killing the inhabitants.
Benue State Governor, Rev Fr Hyacinth Alia, declared a curfew from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. in the Sankera axis following a violent protest in Ukum LGA two weeks ago.
The Sankera axis, which includes Katsina-Ala, Ukum, and Logo, has long been a hotspot for criminal activity in the state.
According to the report, the bandits convened the people and pretended to address them before opening fire on several of them.
The military reportedly recovered 18 bodies Saturday morning.
Justine Shaku, Chairman of Katsina-Ala LGA, confirmed the occurrence, stating that the bandits had completed their operations before the troops arrived at the village.
Shaku said, “At about 11 pm yesterday (Friday), we received a distress call from the villagers that some group of terrorists mobilise themselves and were moving from house to house, forcing people to follow them.
“I quickly mobilised the military officers that were in Tor Doonga, and being a remote area, before they could reach there, the people had been killed.”
Shaku added that some people were wounded during the attack.
“Yesterday night, I was told it was 17, but today 18 people have been confirmed dead. All of them were assembled in one place and killed.
“This morning, I, the assembly member and adviser on legislative matters, held a meeting, and we communicated the development to the Commissioner of Police,” he added.
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The council chairman described the activities of bandits in the area as a ‘gorilla type of war’ describing the gunmen as “local terrorists.”
“I no longer call them bandits because I’m seeing hands/elements of terrorism in their activities. So to me, I classify them as terrorists now.
“But they are terrorists within though they have external forces, those who are sponsoring and helping them to perpetrate the acts. The locals are the major people that are doing it.
Attempts to contact the Police Public Relations Officer, Catherine Anene, to confirm the occurrence were unsuccessful as her phone rang.
Meanwhile, Joseph Har, the Special Adviser on Security and Internal Affairs to Governor Hyacinth Alia, verified the incident.
