Eighteen bodies have been recovered in the aftermath of an attack by suspected herdsmen on Mbafeese Mbakyor village in Gwer-East Local Government Area of Benue State.
The armed men had invaded the community at about 6.pm on Thursday, March 7, after which two bodies were recovered and deposited in the morgue at Aliade General Hospital, while the police said the attackers had been repelled.
However, Scudnews learned that policemen deployed in the community to secure the inhabitants from further attack, recovered 16 more bodies during a search operation.
The additional 16 bodies who are also suspected to have been persons killed by the herdsmen in the attack, have been evacuated and deposited at the Saint Gregory’s hospital mortuary, Ikpayongo for autopsy.
However, a woman, Ango Nomsoor, who was inflicted with severe machete cuts by the herders, was rescued alive and she is receiving treatment at the same hospital.
Sources told Scudnews that the attack was a reprisal by the herdsmen to the alleged killing of an unspecified number of cattle by some youths suspected to be from the community enforcing compliance with a 14-day ultimatum issued by the State government in implementing the ban on open grazing.
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