Benue residents at Bishop Murray Medical Centre, Makurdi. Source: thecable.ng
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Olalekan Adetayo, Friday Olokor, Adelani Adepegba, Alexander Okere and John Charles

Armed Fulani herdsmen unleashed terror on Ayar Mbalom community in the Gwer East Local Government Area of Benue State on Tuesday, killing 19 persons, including two Rev. Fathers.

The deceased Rev Fathers were identified as Fr. Joseph Gor and Felix Tyolaha.


Also among the victims were two school head teachers and a secondary school principal, identified as Peter Dick, Ape Chia and Michael Tor, respectively.




It was gathered that the Catholic faithful had gone for morning mass around 5.30am and unknown to them, the militia herdsmen had laid ambush in the community.

The armed men later surrounded the church and killed all the early callers in the church.

The herdsmen were said to have set ablaze houses in the village, shooting indiscriminately as villagers fled.

Our correspondents learnt the attackers burnt down over 100 houses during the attack.

The Tuesday attack came barely four days after the murder of 10 persons by herdsmen in the Guma LGA, and the destruction of houses in the Naka, Gwer LGA by men suspected to be military personnel who claimed to be searching for killers of a soldier.

Last Wednesday, the Acting Governor of the state, Mr. Benson Abounu, had raised the alarm of planned attacks on five communities in the state.

Abounu had said, “We have received security reports which indicated that a large number of armed mercenaries have moved into Benue valley and had mapped out five different locations in the state to launch attacks on five communities.

“The reports showed that the mercenaries would carry out the attacks on the communities occupied by people in the riverine areas of the state.”

One of the natives of Gwer LGA, who spoke to our correspondent on the telephone on condition of anonymity said the death toll could rise.

herdsmen like animals

The herdsmen were said to have set ablaze houses in the village, shooting indiscriminately as villagers fled.

Our correspondents learnt the attackers burnt down over 100 houses during the attack.

The Tuesday attack came barely four days after the murder of 10 persons by herdsmen in the Guma LGA, and the destruction of houses in the Naka, Gwer LGA by men suspected to be military personnel who claimed to be searching for killers of a soldier.

Last Wednesday, the Acting Governor of the state, Mr. Benson Abounu, had raised the alarm of planned attacks on five communities in the state.

The most damning thing about this is that these wicked people have followers and fans in high places through out our darling nation :::