Gunmen have left 11 persons dead and property worth millions of naira destroyed in Taraba and Benue states border communities in Wukari local government area.

According to eyewitnesses, the attacks were launched on Apiirgwa, a border village with Benue state and Deke, a remote community located about 3kms away between Wukari and Kente, the southern part of both Wukari local government and Taraba state.

The gunmen invaded Apiirgwa in the early hours of Saturday around 5:00am when the victims were fast asleep and started shooting indiscriminately.

The villagers, on hearing the gunshots scampered for safety but eight persons were immediately killed by the gunmen.

Narrating the incident, the chairman of the Wukari local government branch of the Tiv Cultural and Social Association, Aondowase Tarorshi explained that eight persons were actually killed at Apiirgwa village, while two were killed at Tse-Deke, a remote village located about three kilometres away from Wukari along Wukari Kente road where Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) have just been resettled, while the other person was killed at Tarorshi, along Wukari Rafinka Road.

Aondowase disclosed that the lifeless bodies of the eight persons killed at Apiirgwa and the two at Deke were recovered and buried but the corps of the young man killed along Rafinka road was yet to be recovered.

He identified the victims as Daniel Apirgwa ,saater Apirgwa, Terna Apirgwa, Nguyiman Apirgwa, Tertindi Apirgwa, Kparegh Emmanuel Apirgwa, and Mama Modi Apirgwa, Myom Chiahemba Tarorshi, Tyolumun Deke and Ternenge Deke AKA Usman.

“Though Apiirgwa is a border village of Benue state, majority of the people leaving here now are in the IDPs from Taraba state and I want to tell you that the attack has aggravated the people’s challenges. Thousands of youths here are rendered restive and children have been out of school all this while.

Those who attempt to come back and resettled are always attacked. There is seemingly ceaseless killings over here since the crisis that started on 1^st April, 2019.

“As I am talking to you, the lifeless bodies of the eight persons killed at Apiirgwa have been buried on the directive of the military officers who went to the scene of the event. The two persons at Deke have also been buried but the corpse of the other person killed along Rafinka has not been recovered.

“I want to use this opportunity to appeal to the Executive Governor of Taraba State, Dr Agbu Kefas and his team to make a pronouncement concerning this crisis. The governor should also set up earnest modalities and resettle the thousands of IDPs who fled the area following the Jukun and Tiv crisis.

“I am very sure that when the IDPs are resettled in their homes, it will control the rate of these reckless attacks that are consuming the lives of our young men over here,” he stated.

Though the chairman of the local government area, Dauda Samaila could not pick the several calls put across to him, the State Police Public Relation officer, Gambo Kwache, confirmed the attacks.

The PPRO, however said only two persons were reported killed. (BusinessDay)

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