‘Government Has Abandoned Us’ — Benue Community Laments as Bandits Kill Seven Traders
According to reports, armed bandits recently attacked Yanriwa Market in Benue State’s Kwande local government area, killing five traders and wounding seven more.
Five people were killed when the armed attackers broke into the market at around 3 p.m. while traders were conducting business and started shooting intermittently.
In an interview with Leadership Newspaper, a local resident named Lawrence Akerigba bemoaned the federal government’s failure to fulfill its pledge to send more security personnel to the towns after the 2024 Christmas Day attack, which claimed the lives of more than 20 farmers.
He clarified that “as I am speaking to you, that road is no longer passable” due to the herdsmen’s blockade of the Anwase road, the scene of the Christmas attack and killings.
According to Akerigba, the herdsmen’s actions have forced the closure of the majority of the local churches, schools, and marketplaces.
“So far, nothing of that kind has been done,” he stated. The government has left us to fend for ourselves.
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Around 3 p.m., the herders attacked Liev 1 at Usambe in Ikyurav Ya.
But when the herdsmen entered the market when people were buying and selling and began shooting at them, the fun of selling turned violent.
Five people were immediately killed, and seven more were hurt and sent to the hospital. The search is still going on, and some other persons are still missing.
“The security personnel on the ground are making a lot of effort to stop the attacks, but their efforts are not being noticed because they are few in number.”
