At least eight people were reportedly killed in an early morning attack by suspected cultists around Aliade Street in Makurdi.
According to the Punch, the incident occurred in the early hours of Monday.
The resident said, “Some people invaded the street around 2 am today (Monday) and attacked some people living in one of the houses along the street and killed eight people.”
Confirming the incident, the Chairman of Makurdi Local Government Area, Joseph Keffi, said the attackers arrived on motorcycles between 2 am and 2:30 am and stormed a compound on Aliade Street.
He explained that the assailants entered a house, woke four occupants from sleep, and shot them dead.
He added that four others who came out after hearing gunshots were also killed in the attack.
Keffi said, “It is quite ugly and pathetic. The incident happened between 2 am and 2:30 am today, and it was cult-related.
“What I heard is that a cult member from North Bank had a clash with his mates and ran down to stay with his friend at High Level. Unfortunately, his friends and relatives who were killed were not cult members, but because they accommodated the boy, they killed them.
“I have reported the incident to all the security agencies, and they assured me that they would apprehend all the perpetrators.”
The chairman further alleged that one of the suspected cult leaders behind repeated violence in Makurdi and surrounding areas had been identified.
“He comes in, strikes and leaves. Right now, he is not in the state. The day he comes again, he will kill not less than 10 people and leave. We do not know how he escapes.
“This is someone who was once apprehended by the police and released. We just hope that the police will do due diligence and get him arrested,” Keffi said.
He also said security operatives had been deployed to the area and that the location had been cordoned off, with a manhunt launched for the attackers.
Sources said the bodies of the victims had been deposited at morgues in the Benue State University Teaching Hospital and a private medical facility in Makurdi.
The Police Public Relations Officer confirmed the incident through the Commissioner of Police, Ifeanyi Emenari, but said the casualty figure being circulated was higher than official records.
“The PPRO will issue a statement on the cult-related incident later today, but going by our record, the casualty figure was not up to eight,” CP Emenari said.
