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Alleged armed herdsmen are said to have entered the Ankpechi community in Oglewu Ward, within the Ohimini Local Government Area of Benue State, on Thursday, firing randomly and stealing from stores.

A person was reportedly injured by gunfire during the incident and is currently being treated at a hidden hospital.

A local source, who introduced himself as Elijah, shared with reporters during a phone interview on Thursday that certain herders attacked the settlement around 8 a.m., fired randomly, and then started stealing.

Elijah stated, “Our community (Ankpechi) was subjected to a severe assault by Fulani herders between 8am and 9am today (Thursday). They arrived in large numbers and fired randomly, causing residents to flee for their safety.”

Meanwhile, the attackers raided supply stores. Based on what we saw, it seemed as though the supply shops were their primary objective.

The local representative mentioned that a community member was struck by a bullet and is currently being treated at a hidden hospital.

The head of Ohimini LGA, Gabriel Adole, who verified the event, stated that armed individuals attacked the community between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. on Thursday.

Adole stated, “Yes, there was an assault this morning between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. carried out by armed herders. They arrived in Ankpechi, located in Oglewu Ward, and fired randomly.”

They killed one individual, causing the community to flee for their safety. They subsequently robbed local stores and took away merchandise along with food supplies.

That means they reside very near to us. They arrived to assault and seize provisions from our settlements. They are unable to purchase food, so they came to Ohimini to gather food and resorted to violence to obtain it.

The chairperson mentioned that the victim was taken to a hospital for care and noted that additional security officers had been sent to the location.

The official representative of the Benue State Police Command, DSP Udeme Edet, was unavailable for comment as her phone continued to ring.

The most recent assault on the Ankpechi community within Ohimini LGA occurred just three days following the attacks on Otukpo-Nobi and Ondo communities in Otukpo LGA, resulting in multiple fatalities.

The continuous assaults and murders in the two LGAs have led to allegations that they were retaliation actions by herders following the killing of Ardo Risku Mohammed, the Benue State Chairman of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, which occurred a few weeks ago in the region.

Meanwhile, the state secretary of MACBAN, Ibrahim Galma, quickly distanced the association’s members from the attack on Otukpo-Nobi in Otukpo LGA following the incident.

Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc.Syndigate.info).