15 killed as suspected herdsmen wreak havocs in Apa, Benue

At least 15 individuals have reportedly fallen victim to armed assailants in several villages within the Apa Local Government Area of Benue State.

Village accounts on Thursday detailed fresh assaults in Akpete, Inyapu, Ijaha, and Ugbobi villages of Apa LGA over a span of three days, during which 15 individuals lost their lives, with others sustaining serious injuries.

The villagers recounted that five fatalities occurred in the affected villages on Tuesday, followed by two on Wednesday, and eight on Thursday morning.

A youth leader in Apa, known simply as Oche, disclosed that two deaths each were recorded in Ugbobi and Akpete Inyapu on Tuesday, with one casualty in Ijaha, leaving others gravely wounded.

“Five individuals in total perished on Tuesday. There’s no justification for these attacks. Our villagers would be at home, and armed herders would suddenly emerge from the bush, unleashing violence upon them. They’re indiscriminately killing our people,” Oche lamented.

Similarly, Barrister Eche Akpoko, Chairman of the Apa Development Association, expressed concern that the incessant attacks have rendered farming impossible for locals.

Akpoko remarked, “Attacks have become commonplace, and this time, they show no regard for children or women. Imagine a young lady, driven by hunger, venturing to pick yams in the farm only to meet a gruesome end. They prevent people from farming; it’s perilous to step outside.

“We can’t accurately estimate the casualties now because once tensions ease, people will begin recovering corpses, but those unseen are as good as lost. It’s always challenging for us to immediately gauge the extent of the casualties.”

James Abu Umoru, the representative of Apa Constituency in the state House of Assembly, expressed regret over the lack of explanation for the resurgence of violence in the area.

Umoru voiced, “About 95 percent of my constituents have been displaced. Most villages lie deserted. It’s a dire situation. Every day, every night, lives are lost.