An early morning attack on Sai Community in Mbajir Council Ward, Katsina-Ala Local Government Area, Benue State, is said to have murdered numerous persons.

Sources from the impacted village said that on Wednesday at around two in the morning, the attackers broke in and killed a number of locals.

In a phone chat with journalists, a resident who wished to remain anonymous stated that numerous injured victims had been transported to a hospital in Katsina-Ala for medical attention, while several bodies had been found.

“Some armed herders invaded Sai Community around 2 a.m. They moved from house to house, shooting sporadically and forcing people to flee into the bush for safety.

“As we returned to the community at daybreak, youths had recovered 10 bodies of the victims, while several others had been taken to a hospital in Katsina-Ala for treatment,” the source said.

As at the time this report was filed, the Benue State Police Command had not yet responded to the occurrence. Calls to the Police Public Relations Officer's phone went unanswered, thus attempts to contact him were unsuccessful.

Hyacinth Alia, the governor of Benue State, denounced the assault on Sai Community and called for security services to send more troops to the region.

Tersoo Kula, the governor's chief press secretary, said in a statement that Alia claimed the timely deployment of security troops would contribute in preventing additional attacks.

The statement read in part, “Deploy additional personnel to Sai and surrounding communities to prevent further incursions by terrorists and armed herdsmen.

“Launch a manhunt for the perpetrators of this heinous crime to ensure they are brought to face the wrath of the law.

“Ensure the safety of farmers as they tend to their crops, guaranteeing that no further disruption to agricultural activities occurs.

“The unfortunate incident, which occurred in the early hours of the first day of July, left scores dead, while many others sustained varying degrees of injuries. It was allegedly carried out by terrorists masquerading as herdsmen.”

Source