Community Clashes claim 25 lives In Benue

The Benue State government has described as senseless, shameful and unacceptable the Sunday attack on Okokolo, Agatu local government area in which 25 people were killed and several houses burnt down. The attackers were said to have come from the neighbouring Abugbe community.

In a move aimed at averting the spread of violence resulting from the Sunday attack, the Benue State Security Council imposed a 6pm to 6am restriction of movement on the Obagaji – Akwu -Okokolo – Abugbe road and other areas in the crisis zone.

Speaking after the 3-hour meeting, which held at Obagaji, Benue State the acting Governor, Benson Abounu directed the security agencies to apprehend all those involved in the killings.

The Security Council expressed disappointment with the failure of the Agatu people to resolve their internal disagreements peacefully and warned that the government would no longer tolerate such brazen act of criminality.

 The Council directed the people of Akwu to produce a patent medicine dealer from Ologba, who lives in their area and has not been seen since Sunday. They are also to produce the body of an Okokolo youth leader said to have been killed at Akwu.

Earlier, the Deputy governor had led members of the State Security Council, accompanied by several eminent Agatu sons, among them Benue State PDP chairman, John Ngbede and former member, Federal House of Representatives, Solomon Agidani to Okokolo and Akwu to assess the situation on the ground and condole with the families of those killed.

Others with them include member of the Benue State House of Assembly, Godwin Edoh, immediate past member, Audu Sule, former Special Adviser to the Governor on Project Monitoring and Evaluation, Isa Usman, and the Caretaker Chairman, Agatu Local Government, Usman Alilu.

 Abounu appealed to the people of Abugbe, Okokolo, Akwu and the entire Agatu people to help the Police and other security agents fish out the perpetrators of the killings.