Five victims have been feared killed and three others sustained gunshot wounds when suspected herdsmen stormed some villages in Gwer West Local Government area of Benue State in the early hours of Friday.
The armed herdsmen first invaded Ahume Village along Makurdi/Naka Road and dislodged by the troops who stationed at the village to ward off possible attack by the invaders.
Reports say that the insurgents were later engaged in gun battle when troops of Operation Whirl Stroke trailed them to the Benue Nasarawa border with some of them escaping with gunshot.
According to an eyewitness who identified himself as Aver, the troops were patrolling Ahume community when they saw the herdsmen invade Tse-Nyarei village and started shooting indiscriminately, killing five people and injuring others including a pregnant woman.
Aver said, “Last night there was a distress call that herdsmen attacked Ahume village along Makurdi-Naka road. As troops stationed in Kula village were alerted, the bandits ran to another village Tse Nyarei where they killed three people.
“Many others were injured. The soldiers followed and met the bandits at the river bank on the border between Benue and Nasarawa states where they exchanged fire with them. They however crossed the river and escaped into Nasarawa State,” he added.
