12th April, 2022
Suspected Fulani herdsmen have reportedly killed 23 people in Benue State in a fresh attack on two communities, Mbadwem and Tiortyu.
The State Governor, Samuel Ortom disclosed this on Tuesday, saying that the attack took place on Monday night.
He urged the people of the state to rise up to defend themselves forthwith.
It was gathered that eight people were killed Monday night by Fulani herdsmen at Mbadwem in Guma local government area and 15 others at Tiortyu in Tarka local government area.
The governor stated that scores of others were injured and were receiving treatment in unnamed hospital in the state.
According to Ortom, it is becoming increasingly glaring everyday “that my people are now an endangered specie and so we can no longer wait for help from anywhere. My people will have to rise up to the occasion to defend themselves and their heritage against the Fulani army of occupation.”
“We are law abiding citizens. We have cried for help against these invaders but nothing is forthcoming. We are left alone and it looks like it is a deliberate strategy. Now we have only one option; to defend ourselves or get extinct. This is a case for our survival.”
The governor said Benue people had been accommodating of other people in their land but that their hospitality is misconstrued as weakness.
“We are not a conquered people. We will never be. We are free born citizens of Nigeria,” he added.