No fewer than five persons were feared killed yesterday, in an alleged attack on Gyenku village, a Tiv-speaking community in Ukum Local Government Area of Benue State by suspected Jukun militia, Vanguard reports.
However, Commander of Joint Military Operation covering Benue, Taraba and Nasarawa states, code named Operation Whirl Stroke, OPWS, Maj. Gen. Adeyemi Yekini, who had about a week ago initiated the peaceful resolution of the crisis between the Tiv/Jukun tribes, told Vanguard on phone that “the said attack is fake news, there was nothing like that.
“I have my troops on ground in that area who are patrolling communities in that Benue/ Taraba boundary on 24 hours basis and there was no record of such incident.”
But chairman of Ukum council, Mr. Tor-Tyokaa Ibellogo, in a telephone interview said the attackers invaded the village early in the morning as the people were in their farms.
“They killed five and injured one woman who is receiving treatment at an undisclosed hospital. No house was destroyed, they only came to kill,” he said.
Contacted, Benue State Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Sewuese Anene, could not confirm the incident.
Efforts to get any information on the matter from the Divisional Police Officer as well as the Area Commander of the council proved abortive.
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