Rose Ejembi, Makurdi

At least five more persons have been killed by gunmen in what looked like a reprisal attack in two communities, Abaver and Tse Abi, in Katsina-Ala Local Government Area of Benue State.

Last Saturday no fewer than 11 persons were killed in the same axis in a renewed clash between the Shitile and Ikyurav people.

Abaver and Tse Abi communities are located close to College of Education (COE), Katsina-Ala.

Our correspondent gathered that the invading militia, who stormed the communities in a commando manner, shot in all directions, particularly aimed at any man in sight but also shot at a woman in the process.

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“The militants, who were speaking in Tiv dialect, said they were instructed not to shoot at women and children. If not, the casualty figure would have been higher. The fact that residents of the communities also got wind of the attack and moved out of the area helped to reduce the number of casualty too,” the source said.

It was gathered that several residents of the affected communities have been moving out in droves and are taking refuge in surrounding communities, particularly Katsina-Ala township.

Also, because of the proximity of affected areas to COE, Katsina-Ala, most of the students staying off campus in the affected communities are now said to be taking refuge on campus, which is yet to come under attack.

When contacted, the state police command spokesman, DSP Catherine Anene, said she was yet to be briefed about any other attack apart from the one that happened on Saturday in the area.