9 killed, 8 missing in fresh Guma, Logo herdsmen attacks

Renewed attacks by herdsmen on Guma and Logo local government area of Benue state has left nine persons killed, 15 persons injured and about eight others missing.
Blueprint learnt that the eight persons killed at Tse Shan in Saghev, Guma LGA were those who just returned from the Internally Displaced Persons IDPs camps while the remaining one person was killed in Tse Igbur in Logo.
The attack is coming less than a day after Minister of Defence, Brig.-Gen Dan Mansur Ali, had called for the suspension of the anti open grazing law in Benue, Ekiti and Taraba states.
Our sources from Guma, who simply gave his name as Iorkumba, revealed that the armed militia, about 3 am yesterday, attacked Tse Shan village shooting in all directions while the villagers who were just returning home after staying for months in IDP camps ran for safety.
Our sources said in the end, eight corpses of villagers were recovered while several persons are said to be missing and many injured.
Reacting to the development, Chairman of Guma local government area, Mr. Anthony Shawon, lamented that the victims included two students who came to write the National Examination Council (NECO), Senior School Certificate Examination in the community.
Shawon said he had already submitted the report of the attack to the Special Adviser on Security, Col. Paul Hemba (rted.), adding that both the dead and the injured had been brought to Gbajimba General Hospital.
The chairman stated that he also received information that, while retreating, the militia attacked several people along their routes with one body discovered along the road in Logo local government area.
Few days ago, locals in Logo local government had alleged that the Nigerian military were withdrawing troops of the Operation Whirl Stroke, posted to the area.
A community leader in Logo, Chief Joseph Anawah, who confirmed the attack on Tse Igbur, also said the herdsmen invaded the area around 9:30pm on Tuesday, killed one person and injured many.
Anawah, who also raised the alarm over the withdrawal on Sunday from the area, believed that the sudden withdrawal of the security operatives was to give the killers the opportunity to strike.
“We earlier suspected sinister motives by the sudden withdrawal of security posted to this area. It appears like collaboration with the killer herdsmen by the military,” he alleged.
Blueprint gathered that the Commander of the 72 Special Forces Battalion had already dispatched soldiers to the scene of the attack found.
Speaking on the matter, Security Adviser, Col. Hemba believed that the attackers came from a base in Logo local government area.
The police could not be reached for confirmation at the time of filing this report