Eighteen people were killed in Adamawa and Benue states yesterday in separate attacks by Boko Haram insurgents and Fulani herdsmen. No fewer than seven persons were confirmed dead yesterday morning, following a renewed attack and sacking of the home town of the paramount ruler of Tiv nation, Tor Tiv Dr. Alred Akawe Torkula, by suspected Fulani herdsmen, in Guma local government area of Benue state.
Vanguard gathered that Fulani mercenaries numbering about 200 invaded the densely populated Angyom, Tse-Usenda and Tse-Torkula the ancestral home of the paramount ruler, killing anything on sight and burning down houses, huts and farmland.
“The herdsmen who were over 200, stormed Tse-Torkula, Angyom and Tse-Usenda settlements at the early hours of Tuesday when everyone was still at sleep,’’ the sources added.
“It was the sporadic gunshots that woke everybody up and we all scampered for safety but as i speak to you, at least seven person have been killed while not less than 100 houses have been razed down.
“We have lost several of our farmland while we are yet to account for over 40 persons who are still missing as a result of the invasion; heavy fighting is still raging as i speak to you and the communities have been deserted, but we hope that the missing persons are still alive.”
Confirming the attack on phone, the Guma Local Government council Chairman, Mr. Frank Adi expressed grief over the renewed invasion saying that his people were becoming refugees in their own state.
Also, Boko Haram reportedly killed 11 people in Adamawa State. The attacks were carried out in Galga, Gabun in Gaanda District in Gombi Local Government Area of the state.
Adamawa State Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, confirmed the attack but gave no details of the incident, saying it could be obtained from the military.
However, efforts made to confirm the incident from the 23rd Armoured Brigade of the Nigerian Army, Yola, proved abortive as at the time of filing this report.
Army Public Relations Officer at the 23rd Armoured Brigade, Captain Nuhu Jafa’aru promised to speak later when contacted on phone.
A prominent citizen of Gaanda District who described the attack as pathetic disclosed that Gaanda District had been suffering from incessant attacks by the insurgents and had similarly lodged complaints to the security agencies of the need to beef up security in the area but without any prompt response to the series of letters to that effect.
According to him, the district is located in a mountainous terrain but the insurgents have several times trooped into the Gaanda District and attacking innocent persons in the area, and sometimes demand for money and that in the absence of that the residents were being killed.
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