World News | Gunmen kill 24 villagers in recent attacks in hard-hit northern Nigeria

ABUJA (Nigeria), July 9 (AP) — Gunmen killed 24 villagers in a remote north-central region of Nigeria, authorities said Sunday, raising further concerns about ongoing security challenges in the West African nation.

Tersoo Kula, a spokesman for the Benue state governor, said the gunmen arrived in the village of Akpuna in Benue state’s Uqum district on Saturday, shot and killed villagers before fleeing the area.

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Police blamed the attack on “militia gangs”, a common term for armed groups in Nigeria’s hard-hit northwest and central regions, where armed violence claimed thousands of lives last year.

Benue police spokeswoman Catherine Anene said eight bodies had been recovered from the scene. Local officials, including legislator Ezra Nyiyongo (Ezra Nyiyongo), said at least 24 people were killed and many others were injured.

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“Words cannot express my shock and sympathy for the families of the victims,” ​​Nyongo said when announcing the names of the victims.

Benue governor Haicins Iolmem Alia said the attack was unprovoked and instructed security personnel to hunt down the suspects, Kura said.

“The government will do everything possible to stop these things and prevent them from happening again,” Kalou said.

Such attacks are common in many parts of Nigeria’s Northern Region, where herders have clashed with farmers in the past over limited land and water. Violence in Benue alone has killed more than 100 people this year. Few arrests have been made following the killings.

Emmanuel Udende, who represents the village in Nigeria’s senate, said the gunmen in the latest incident moved for more than two hours without intervention by security forces. His comments echoed concerns about the safety of villagers in many hotspots of violence, where Nigerian security forces are far behind in numbers and weapons. (Associated Press)

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