Curfew In Benue As Gunmen Kill Five

No fewer than five persons were said to have been killed between Sunday and yesterday by local militia men in Katsina-Ala Local Council of Benue State.

The suspected to be of Shitile extraction, also set houses in Jabi and Abaver communities of Katsina-Ala ablaze, thereby displacing thousands of persons, Guardian writes.

In the wake of the unabated killings, the Benue State Government has imposed a 24-hour curfew on Katsina-Ala town.

A statement, signed by Ede Ogaba Ede, Chief Press Secretary (CPS) to the Acting Governor, Benson Abounu in Makurdi yesterday, said the move was part of measures to restore peace and ensure the security of lives and property in Katsina-Ala.

“The Benue State Government has imposed a 24 hour curfew on Katsina-Ala with effect from today, Monday, April 22, 2019 as part of efforts to restore peace and ensure the security of lives and property in that part of the state.”

Meanwhile, Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State has cut short his vacation to join hands with major stakeholders to address the ongoing crisis in some border and other communities of the state.

A statement by the Governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Terver Akase, said Ortom is already on the way back to the country to find possible ways of ending the renewed killing of innocent people and destruction of property by gunmen, especially in the Sankera area of the state.

He warned those taking advantage of the crisis to whip up sentiments to desist and remember that Benue is the only state they have and if they allow politics to destroy it, the impact of such destruction will affect everyone irrespective of political affiliation.