An eight months old baby, a nursing mother including an eight year old boy and ten others have been confirmed dead in a bloody robbery attack on villages in Sengev council ward of Katsina/Ala local government area of Benue state.
According to Saturday Vanguard, a source who craved anonymity revealed that the victims were murdered in cold blood last Wednesday evening while on their way from farm..
He said:
“the gang who we suspected to be ‘Gana’s’ men came from Gbishe which used to be their stronghold before now, in a commando fashion to rob in the village but they met a stiff resistance from the vigilante group in the area.”
“Two members of the gang who were about five were capture and set ablaze by the people, only for those that escaped to stage a come back shortly after this time well prepared for a bloody fight and started shooting sporadically, killing anybody they met on their way.
“It was in that madness that they killed the innocent woman and her children who at the time were running back home for fear of being killed in the farm and several other persons including livestock were also hacked down.
“At this time the people in the villages had started fleeing from their homes but those they caught up with were gunned down after which the well armed men beat a retreat.”
“As I speak with you, the area has been deserted while security operatives have moved in to patrol the community.”
Corroborating the story, the Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, for Benue state, Assistant Superintendent, ASP, Moses Yamu who confirmed the death of the toddlers and their mother blamed the killings on the wanted militia leader, Terwase Agwaza also known as ‘Gana’.
According to Yamu, a five man gang of armed men and loyalists of the ‘Gana’ besieged Sengev council ward, a community less than ten kilometres from the Gbishe where they were resisted by members of the vigilante group who also lynched two members of the gang.