Herdsmen Attack Ayati Village in Benue State for the Second Time in a Month, Killing Over 30

The Benue state government has confirmed that gunmen suspected to be herdsmen killed over 30 persons in Ayati village, Ukum Local Government Area of Benue State, on Thursday night.

Matthew Aboh, Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, disclosed this while addressing journalists on Friday in Makurdi. According to him, adequate security had been deployed to restore order. He added that over 30 bodies were recovered after the attack, and more bodies were still being recovered in the bushes.

I was informed yesterday night through the telephone that bandits were attacking and killing people at Ayati village. Today, I confirmed that the number of persons killed, as I talked to you, was 30. They are still recovering corpses in the bushes, so the number is yet to be ascertained, Aboh stated.

However, a resident who spoke to SaharaReporters said over 60 persons were killed during the attack.

On August 8, at about 4:30 pm, while normal daily activities were going on in Ayati village, Ukum Local Government Area of Benue state, a large number of armed bandits invaded the village and started shooting sporadically at members of the community, killing over 60 of the villagers, they said.

Meanwhile, the Police Public Relations Officer, Sewuese Aneene, confirmed the attack in a text but could not tell the casualty figure.

“I’m aware there was an attack, and I’m waiting for a briefing from officers on ground,” he said.

This incident comes just a few weeks after six persons were killed in the Ayati community, making it the second attack in one month.

West Africa Weekly reported that indigenous farmers of Benue State, who, for 7 years, have been living in Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps after their displacement by herdsmen, have decried their unbearable living conditions, describing it as traumatic and complicated.

Meanwhile, insecurity continues to plague the area despite the government’s constant vows to end it.

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