Suspected armed herders on Tuesday evening killed five farmers in Udeku Maav-Ya community in Mbakyol Council Ward, Turan district of Kwande Local Government Area, Benue State.

Local sources said that the incident happened at about 4 pm when residents were harvesting yams and bambara nuts.

The attack, according to one of the locals who simply identified himself as Terna, disrupted activities in the community.

When contacted, the chairman of Kwande Local Government Area, Tersua Yarkwan, confirmed the killings of the five persons.

He said the attackers did not immediately withdraw after the assault, which he said caused tension in the area.

Yarkwan, who described the area as a vulnerable border local government that shares an international boundary with Cameroon, lamented that the terrain complicates security operations.

The chairman said that the continued attacks during harvest season threaten food security.

Also confirming the incident, a former Supervisory Councillor in the local government, Akerigba Lawrence, decried the constant assault on the community.

He stated that residents of the community constantly faced sustained attacks and destruction of crops, homes, and economic trees, as well as restricted access to water sources.

He identified the victims of the attack to include Tyozua Gyuse, Gbaga Gyuse, and Tersuur Ijighka, adding that the names of two others were yet unknown.

He further said that search operations were ongoing to find some of the residents who had been declared missing at the time of filing this report.

Lawrence said schools, churches, and markets have been forced to shut down following repeated attacks.

Efforts to get comments from the state Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Udeme Edet, were not successful as her phone did not connect at the time of filing this report.

The fresh attack on farmers has triggered concerns over the influx of armed herders in Benue communities, which always happens during the dry season. (The PUNCH)