16 Reportedly Killed As Suspected Herdsmen Carry Out Reprisal Attack For Their Stolen Cows In Benue

16 Reportedly Killed As Suspected Herdsmen Carry Out Reprisal Attack For Their Stolen Cows In Benue

A fresh attack by suspected herdsmen on three communities in the Gwer
West Local Government Area of Benue State has reportedly left 16
persons dead. According to residents of the area, the suspected herdsmen
attacked the communities on Saturday March 2nd while most of them were
asleeep. 

Confirming the attacks, the sub-sector Commander of the Operation
Whirl Stroke in charge of  Gwer West, Flying Officer Mohammed Abubakar,
said the attack was a reprisal for cows that were allegedly rustled
by people he claimed were livestock guards in military uniform on Friday
March 1st.

Operation Whirl Stroke which began on May 8, consists of all the
military services, police and Department of State Services (DSS) and is
meant to curtail the unruly activities of herdsmen and armed bandits in
the state.

“At about 4.30 pm on Saturday, information got to me that some people
in military uniform were sighted at the Agape Forest and I mobilised my
men to the forest. My men embarked on a search and discovered that
those behind the rustling of cows are members of the livestock
guards. We later traced them to Ter Nagi’s Palace and discovered 22
cattle there but he (the monarch) claimed that they belonged to him.

“Thereafter,  we contacted the DPO, who equally identified the
rustlers as members of the Livestock Guards who disguised as military
men to rustle cattle and butchered them for sale at the Naka Market. As I
speak with you, they are selling the meat at the market. The DPO also
gave the names of seven persons who are members of the Livestock Guards
involved in the incident.

“Just this afternoon, our men went on a mop up patrol and discovered
four additional dead bodies at the scene of the incident.” Abubakar said

Reacting to the development, the Chief Press Secretary to the Benue
State Governor, Terver Akase, faulted the military’s claim that the cows
were stolen by the state livestock guards.

“This Operation Whirl Stroke comprises of professional soldiers who
are expected to act professionally. They can’t rely on information from
unverifiable source to come and say members of the Livestock Guards are
instigating crisis. Members of the Livestock Guards are not armed,
neither were they given military uniform by the Benue State Government.
So the military should be objective and unbiased in their actions,”
Akase said.

Benue state has over the years witnessed a number of attacks perpetrated by suspected herdsmen.