Henry Ibya, Makurdi

About 86 person’s have allegedly been killed within an interval of less than one week with scores injured as well as properties worth millions of naira including food items burnt to ashe following renewed hostilities on Benue communities by suspected herdsmen.
Information available to news men at the week end indicates that gunmen had last week attacked Umogidi community in Entekpa – Adoka district of Otukpo Local Government Area where they killed over 50 person’s with the latest attack on Mgbam community of Guma Local Government Area killing over 38 innocent people last week Friday.
A fleeing member of the community who pleaded anonymity told Aljazirah Nigeria that the attackers stormed Mgbam community in the early hours of Saturday when most of the victims were still in their sleep and were murdered in a classroom where they were taking refuge having been displaced from their various homes for a long period of time.
According to the eyewitness amongst the dead were two adult children of the district head of Nyiev chief Bernard Shawa.
The eyewitness further told Aljazirah Nigeria that he had gathered that corpses of the deceased were conveyed to different mortuaries within the area, adding that the corpses would be released to families for burial on demand. 
While another attack on Uyo Mbaagir in Uyam council ward of Ukum Local Government Area within the same period left two people dead with over 40 person’s wounded while those displaced are taking refuge in neighbouring communities of Ayati and Zaki- biam.
Speaking separately district head of Uyam and that of Nyiev both lamented the level at which the attackers simultaneously invaded their communities, wondering why apart from grazing of their animals on their food, the attackers would set houses ablaze insisting that the herders are bent on taking over their ancestral homes.
They appealed to security agencies to come to their aid by providing security to enable people of affected communities go back to their homes to continue their farm activities now that the rains have returned.
Governor Ortom who condemned the killings while addressing victims of Mgbam community during a brief stop over on his return to Abuja where the people were gathered at the compound of the district head of Nyiev chief Bernard Shawa to mourn the death of loved ones,again called on the president to muster a strong political will to end herdsmen and banditry attacks in Benue and other parts of the country that are affected.
Ortom who commiserated with those that lost loved ones, equally appealed to Benue people not to be provoked in such a way to take laws into their own hands in response to the attacks but remain law abiding as Government will continue to pursue lawful means to safeguard lives and property of the people.