A family of seven, eight farmers were among people feared killed in clashes between militia gangs in Gbagir community, situated in Ukum local government area of Benue State which, according to reports, began on Tuesday morning.
A highly reliable military source said yesterday in Makurdi, the State capital, that the majority of the people who were killed were members of militia gangs in the area.
“It was militia men that were killing themselves. One or two persons might have been caught in the crossfire. The villagers know those carrying out this dastardly act but are shielding them. We saw several corpses. The attack was not carried out by suspected armed herdsmen. It was a clash between two local militia groups”, the source said.
He added that security operatives had been deployed in the area to restore normalcy, saying locals in the area would need to furnish the operatives with credible information to succeed in the operation, however.
A traditional ruler in the area, who requested anonymity, said the bloody fight began on Tuesday morning.
He said a militia leader in Ukum local government area went to Chinkai community in Wukari local government area in neighbouring Taraba at the weekend and kidnapped a tribal militia leader. He also kidnapped family members of the Chinkai militia leader, he added.
“After kidnapping them, he demanded for N100 million ransom, but was given N5 million. After collecting the money he killed his hostages. The murder of the hostages sparked outrage among members of the victims’ gang members in Taraba.
“A different militia gang leader in Ukum, joined forces with the avenging militia gang from Taraba to help to eliminate the Ukum gang leader who abducted and killed his Chinkai community victims. The essence was to enable him (the collaborator), to become the head of militia gang in Ukum”, he said.
The traditional ruler said the combined forces of two different tribal militia gangs started moving into Gbagir bushes in their hundreds from Sunday to sack the gang that killed the Taraba militia gang leader.
“More than 30 others were injured while some are still missing. Sadly caught in the crossfire was a family of seven”, he added.
He said also that the armed men had also spread into bushes in the surrounding areas, but could not move into residential areas because of the timely intervention of troops of ‘Operation Whirl Stroke’ (OPWS).
Police in Benue also confirmed the clash and declared that only eight corpses had so far been recovered from the scene. Police spokesman, SP Sewuese Anene told newsmen that additional operatives had been deployed in the area to restore peace and order.
Anene, however, denied knowledge of any on-going mass burial taking place in the community, as was being rumoured.
