At least 25 persons have been reportedly killed in an early Saturday morning attack by unknown gunmen, on Imande Mbakange and other neighbouring communities in Mbacher Council Ward of Kastina-Ala Local Government Area, LGA, of Benue state.
The attackers who were reported to have razed many houses and farmlands in the affected communities also inflicted injuries on many survivors of the attack.
It was gathered from a source in the area that the gunmen invaded the communities at about 4am when the people were still in bed, shooting sporadically to wake the people from sleep.
He said: “The gunshots woke the people from sleep and as they made efforts to flee for their lives, anyone they caught up with was killed.
“As they killed the people, they also set their houses and nearby farmland on fire. As we speak the place is like a war zone. The communities have been deserted and residents of neighbouring communities are also fleeing for fear of being attacked.”
Confirming the development, the Chairman of Kastina-Ala LGA, Mr. Alfred Atera who condemned the attack appealed to security agencies to intensify patrols in the communities to end the carnage.