How over 200 herdsmen attack Benue community, killed dad, three siblings

Victims of attacks on Ebonyi/Benue border communities on Tuesday said over 300 Fulani herdsmen invaded their communities and attacked them.

Recall that armed herdsmen invaded Odoke Ishieke, Obakotara Ishieke and Ndiobasi Ishieke communities in the Ado Local Government Area of Benue State at 3am on Sunday and killed over 30 persons, including pregnant women and nursing mothers.

IDOMA VOICE reports that the three communities shared boundaries with the Ebony LGA of Ebonyi State.

One of the victims, a 23-year-old Chinyere Uduka, said the assailants invaded their house and inflicted machete cut injuries on them, while shooting indiscriminately.

She said they were deep asleep when the herdsmen struck and started attacking them and burning down houses in the communities.

“It was in the morning of Sunday, May 30, 2021, at exactly 3.30am in the morning. My sisters and I were all asleep and what I heard was a serious bang on the door and when I opened eyes, I saw flashes of torchlight, very many of them.

“Before I knew what was happening, they started inflicting machete cuts on us and it was then that we started jumping from windows and as I was running. They started shooting and they shot me in the legs. That’s why I’m here in the hospital. I can’t walk now. The Fulani herdsmen that attacked us were up to 300,” she added.

Another victim, 13-year-old Udaga Lebechi, told The PUNCH that her father and three younger siblings were killed in the attack.

He said, “It was the Fulani people that attacked us at Odoke community in the Ado Local Government Area of Benue State.

“It was around 3am on Sunday morning. They came numbering up into 200 and started cutting us with their cutlasses. Three of my siblings and I were attacked. They killed many people from my community and many of our kindred are still missing. They killed my father and my three little ones.”