January 9, 2018

The Police Command in Benue has confirmed the killing of two of its personnel by suspected herdsmen in an ambush in Logo Local Government Area of the state on Monday.

Confirming the incident to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), in Makurdi on Tuesday, the Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Moses Yamu, said a police patrol team sent to the area was attacked late on Monday.

He said the command immediately dispatched a reinforcement team which repelled the attackers and restored normalcy in the area.

Yamu said because of the nature of the attack, it was difficult to ascertain the number of casualties, especially as the attackers were many.

NAN recalls that the Chairman of Guma Local Government, Mr Anthony Shawon, had alleged that hordes of herdsmen were camped at Dogon Yashi Forest from where they launched attacks on villages in the area.

Shawon, who is also the Chairman of Association of Local Government Chairmen of Nigeria in Benue, explained that the forest stretched from Guma to Logo on the banks of River Benue covering over 57km.

NAN recalls that the suspected herders had attacked some Benue communities on New Yew Day and killed 71 people.

The state government has fixed Thursday for the mass burial of the victims.