Armed men on Saturday night attacked and killed three people who were returning from a burial in Sati Ikov Council Ward of Ushongo Local Government Area of Benue State.
Residents of the area who spoke to PUNCH Metro on Sunday said the armed men attacked mourners who had attended a burial ceremony on Saturday night.
One of the locals, who pleaded not to be named for fear of reprisals from local militias, said, “Some mourners who were returning from a burial were attacked close to our community, Sati-Ikov, on Saturday night by local militias.
“Three of them were killed, while two others, a male and a female, were kidnapped.”
Confirming the incident on Sunday, the lawmaker representing Ushongo State Constituency in the State Assembly, Simon Gabo, decried the activities of armed militias in the area.
He said his community had been turned into a battlefield by the armed groups over the past two weeks, resulting in several deaths.
He identified those killed on Saturday night as Bem Msughter from Mbakyombo, Daav-Ikov; Aondo Chia from Mbamegh, Daav-Ikov; and Sunday Terwase of Mbakyor, Daav-Ikov.
He also said two people who were returning from the burial were kidnapped: Aondongu Amos of Mbanyion, a POS operator at Sati-Ikov, and Mrs Arinze, an Igbo patent medicine trader in Sati-Ikov.
Gabo, who is also the Deputy Majority Chief Whip of the State House of Assembly, claimed that three other people were killed two weeks earlier in the community.
He said, “I received information from my people who called today (Sunday) at about 4 a.m. that yesterday (Saturday) night, they went for a burial, and on their way back, they ran into armed men.
“The armed men shot and killed three of them and collected their bags. They also robbed some residents and kidnapped two persons. The victims were all young men.
“Aside from that, we have had one or two of such incidents every other week.”
Gabo alleged that the armed men usually cross the river from the Katsina-Ala Local Government Area into Ushongo to launch attacks.
“So they cross from there to our side, attack, and return to their side. It is a mountainous area with large forests,” the lawmaker said.
He added that he had reported the incident to the police, noting that the Divisional Police Officer had already deployed security personnel to the community on Sunday morning.
Meanwhile, the State Police Command spokesperson, DSP Udeme Edet, could not be reached for comment as her phone rang out at the time of filing this report.
The latest incident has heightened fear among residents amid rising insecurity in the state.
