Consequently, hundreds of farmers, including men, women and children, are displaced from their ancestral homes, with no food and shelter. Reports said most of the fleeing residents were being traced and trapped on the escape routes by the assailants.
Eyewitnesses told LEADERSHIP yesterday that the blood raid occurred at about 5am when the gunmen in their hundreds invaded the Egba community and immediately set the village ablaze, killing and destroying every property in sight.
The lawmaker representing Apa/Agatu state constituency, Alhaji Audu Sule, who escaped the attack yesterday, told newsmen in Makurdi that “this attack is deadly. The attackers who came in their hundreds killed scores and more than 80 corpses have so far been recovered.”
According to Sule, some of the displaced persons are taking refuge at Ogbalu and Obagaji, the headquarters of Agatu local government while scores have continued to run for safety.
The deputy governorship candidate of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state, Mr John Ngbede, an Agatu native, described the attack as sad and claimed it had a political undertone. He appealed to the state and federal governments to deploy and station military troops to the areas to avert further attacks.
The commissioner of police, CP Hyacinth Dagala, who confirmed the attack, said men of the police command had arrived at the scene of the attacks and had so far recovered several dead bodies.
He also said that investigation to unravel and arrest the perpetrators was ongoing.
Leadership
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