By Sam Tyav, Makurdi
Barely 72 hours after the Benue State Government distributed farm inputs to residents of Yelwata community in Guma Local Government Area (LGA) of the state, gunmen suspected to be Fulani herders on Sunday shot two residents of the community.
Yelwata town in June last year was the scene of attacks by herdsmen during which over 200 people were reportedly massacred with thousands of survivors displaced.
The massacre attracted outrage locally and internationally.
President Bola Tinubu, alongside some of the nation’s chiefs, consequently paid a visit to the state, where he sympathized with some survivors in hospital in Makurdi, the state capital. He also held a town hall meeting with leaders of the state.
A leader of the community who spoke to People&Politics on condition of anonymity, disclosed that the latest incident occurred on Sunday afternoon when the armed herders were openly grazing their cattle on the way to Yelwata town and soldiers promptly moved in to halt their advance, possibly fearing that such could spark a fresh clash with still-angry locals.
According to the source, when the herders realized the soldiers were after them, they began to flee even as the military fired warning shots into the air.
The source added that the herders at a point, as they ran, started shooting sporadically with the bullets hitting two persons in the main Yelwata community.
According to the source, the incident occurred “very close to my house.”
“A woman was shot in the hand, while the second one was shot in her leg,” the source said, giving details.
Continuing, the source said officials of Benue State Emergency Management Agency (BSEMA) were later spotted conveying both victims to Makurdi for medical treatment, stressing that the victims were still alive at the time.
Following the incident, residents of the town are alarmed that armed herders may not allow them access their farms any more to put to use the improved inputs provided by government a few days ago.
*PHOTO CAPTION: Suspected terrorists.
