No fewer than three persons were reportedly killed in the early hours of Wednesday in a fresh attack by bandits and herdsmen in Yoyo community, Katsina-Ala Local Government Area of Benue State.
The attack was said to have also left several persons injured while many fled their homes for fear of being killed.
According to Vanguard, a source in the area said; “the gunmen made up of late Gana’s men and herdsmen stormed the community at about 2 am and started shooting sporadically. Those killed were attempting to flee when they were gunned down and several others sustained injuries.”
Chairman of Katsina-Ala LGA, Mr Alfred Atera, who confirmed the attack and the alliance between late Gana’s loyalists and the herdsmen, said: “We heard that Gana’s boys are currently in alliance with some herdsmen to attack our villagers.
“That is what they are doing now. Late in the night, I heard that the herdsmen in alliance with Gana boys went to attack people in Yoyo and I was told that three people were killed.
“The information at our disposal is that anytime Gana boys want to attack any community, they plan it with the herdsmen, who help them carry out the attack. They invite the herdsmen to come and cause mayhem in the land, and we learnt they are living together in the bush.
“For now, we have calmed the situation. We have combed the entire place and we are not allowing them to cluster in one place again. Anywhere that we see that they have formed a camp, we will destroy it so as not to allow them settle to plan attacks as they threatened.”
The State Police Public Relations Officer, Catherine Anene, said she was yet to receive details of the attack.