Several people are feared dead and many others injured after a violent attack occurred early Thursday morning in Mtsewnem, a village in the Akondutyough area of North Bank, near Makurdi, the capital of Benue State.
Eyewitnesses said the attack happened around 3:00 a.m. while residents were asleep. Armed men believed to be herdsmen stormed the quiet village and began attacking homes, leaving trails of blood and destruction in their path. Screams and gunshots rang out through the night, waking nearby communities.
A resident who survived the attack but asked not to be named said, “It was like a nightmare. We woke up to see people running and shouting. I saw neighbors being dragged out of their homes. Some didn’t make it.”
Local humanitarian worker and human rights advocate, Ukan Kurugh, shared his reaction on social media.
He wrote, “At 3:00 a.m. today, I received a heartbreaking distress call, accompanied by chilling video footage and photographs of yet another suspected herdsmen attack.
“This time, the horror unfolded in North Bank, less than a 40-minute drive from Makurdi town.
“These brazen attackers continue to strike with impunity, undeterred by the presence of state and federal authorities. They have defied the President, the Governor, and our entire security apparatus.
“To the wounded and to the families who lost loved ones, my heart grieves with you. Your pain is our pain. We will not turn away. We will not be silent. We are wide awake and we will continue to speak, to mourn, and to demand action.”
