Fear and grief have gripped the Agbo Vengav community of Udam in Gwer West Local Government Area of Benue State as suspected armed herdsmen launched a deadly midnight assault that left seven people dead, including women and children and several others missing.
The attackers reportedly struck around 1:00 a.m. on Friday, taking the sleeping community by surprise and unleashing mayhem that has become all too familiar across rural Benue.
Among the victims was a little girl whose life was brutally cut short. Her mother, according to residents, was abducted by the assailants and remains missing as at the time of this report.
“The Fulani herdsmen came while people were sleeping. They started attacking without warning,” a local source said, “We recovered seven bodies, but the search is still ongoing. Many are missing.”
The fresh attack adds to the growing wave of insecurity in Benue State, where rural communities continue to suffer repeated assaults by suspected herdsmen with little protection or relief.
The spokesperson for the Benue State Police Command could not be reached
Residents of the affected area are apprehensive, unsure of when or where the next attack might come, as security forces are yet to fully secure the volatile zones.
