More bodies recovered in Benue mass grave

About seven persons have been arrested in connection with the mass grave identified at Gbatse, Ushongo Local Government Area (LGA) of Benue State, including the leader of the gang, Iorwuese Kpila.

Other suspects arrested in connection with the incident include Tersoo Agee, Agabi Charles, Chiahemen Baa and Ortemaa aka 10 tyres.

This is even as more bodies were exhumed from the shallow graves on Thursday, bringing the total number of corpses exhumed at the scene to eleven.

But briefing newsmen at the scene of the incident at the foot of Ushongo hills, State Governor Samuel Ortom said it’s likely that more bodies may be recovered at the end of the exercise.

Police sources at the scene told Daily Independent reliably that the suspects have identified some of the graves that are yet to be exhumed.

However, Governor Ortom explained that the corpses of those that were identified have been handed over to their families for proper burial.

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While Daily Independent gathered from some of the locals that the motive behind the killings may be a quest for spiritual power, Governor Ortom said from information available to him, the motive may be the desire of the suspects to get rich through the back door.

The Governor also stated that four members of the gang were at large and may currently be on the run.

He also noted that the government in collaboration with security agencies in the state have commenced a clampdown on criminal elements in Katsina-Ala, Ushongo, Ukum, Kwande, Logo and Vandeikya LGAs of the state.

Governor Ortom lamented the situation where criminal elements take the lives of others at will and even go to the extent of killing their victims, despite collecting ransom from families of the victims.