Angry youths in Ikpayongo, on Thursday, mounted a road block along
Makurdi/Otukpo road in protest over the killing of their people by
suspected herdsmen. It was gathered that at least ten persons were killed and several others
injured in a renewed hostility between Fulani herdsmen and Tiv youths
at Tse Igba Uke village near Ikpayongo, a suburb of Makurdi, and the
Benue State capital.
Also vehicles were damaged, while property worth several millions were also destroyed.
According to a resident, trouble started when some suspected Fulani
herders allegedly killed two persons in the village and also injured
another person during a scuffle.
The youths blockaded the highway with tyres and corpse of one of the
victims. This caused traffick gridlock, leaving motorists and commuters
stranded for several hours.
State Police Public Relation Officer (PPRO), ASP, Moses Yamu, who
confirmed the crisis, said six persons were killed in the mayhem while
one person was critically injured.
”We got a report that suspected herdsmen attacked Tse Igba Uke village,
and killed one Sunday Kachuwa and others and injured Zongu Aliade.
Their corpses were removed and deposited at General Hospital, Aliade
while the injured is undergoing treatment,” he said.
Yamu, who also confirmed that some youths from Ikpayongo mounted a
roadblock, in protest of the killing, and killed a passenger in the
process, explained that policemen had been drafted to restore peace in
the area.
He warned youths against taking laws into their hands and engaging in
jungle justice, stressing that anyone caught perpetrating such act would
be made to face the law.