Over 5,000 persons have been rendered homeless, just as about 10 communities were raided in Guma Local Government Area of Benue State in a renewed dispute between the Tiv farmers and Fulani herdsmen.
LEADERSHIP recalls that about 21 persons were feared dead on Sunday after suspected Fulanis invaded some villages at the Benue/Nasarawa borders, shooting indiscriminately and burning houses.
The raided communities are the Tse-Ikper, Tse-Agbanyi, Tse-Ayeri, Yogbo and Udei, all in Guma LGA, as well as Gidan Lai in Nasarawa State among others.
It was gathered that by yesterday, the displaced persons, mostly women and children, had already fled their homes to Gbajimba, the headquarters of Guma LGA and to Makurdi, the state capital, and other neighbouring communities that were not yet invaded by the herdsmen.
More than 30 persons were murdered and properties worth millions of naira also destroyed, even as many people were trapped in the bushes by the herdsmen.
The indiscriminate killings appears to have defied the peace accord struck by the governors of Nasarawa and Benue, Alhaji Tanko Almakura and Gabriel Suswam, during a peace meeting at Yelwata, Nasarawa State earlier in the year.
Mr. Mnyam Adoon, 65, a resident of Yogbo community who was displaced, told our correspondent yesterday that he relocated his family to Gbajimba for safety and that houses were being burnt and residents of the area being killed.
“I cannot stay in my house; that is why my wife, my children and I have decided to run to Gbajima to save our lives,” he said.
Consequently, the state commissioner of police, Mr. Kakwe Chris Katso has deployed troops of mobile policemen to the affected areas to prevent further attacks.
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