The Governor of Benue State, Hyacinth Alia has revealed how the attackers who invaded communities in the state were able to gain access to their victims.
Speaking during an Arise Television interview on Tuesday, the governor said the killers invaded the communities through the river.
Recall that some suspected armed herdsmen had attacked Yelewata town in Benue and reportedly killed over 200 people.
The incident has resulted in a barrage of outrage from Nigerians and the international community with the Catholic Pope calling for an end to the killings.
Also, President Bola Tinubu has assured that he will visit the community to get a first-hand assessment of the impact of the attack.
The president also directed the heads of security agencies to take proactive measures towards curbing the incessant killings in the state.
However, Alia during the interview said the attack by the suspected killer herdsmen lasted for two hours.
“Yes, it lasted for two hours. Right at Yelewata itself, there is a military checkpoint and then the police as well. But here is how it happened: The river is not far from this axis, so we understand that they used the river’s route.
“Now, they were pushed back from Apa – local government area in Benue – and as they were moving towards Nasarawa state. This place, Yelewata shares a border with Nasarawa state. It is on their route to Nasarawa state that the heinous attacks now happened,” Alia said.
The governor also noted that these killers initially attacked the military and police checkpoints in these areas before invading the community proper.
“Now when they got to this town, the first effort that they made was to go and attack the military and the police who usually man the road around there.
“So they had a huge pushback, they now ran back and they came in their numbers, they usually come in very huge numbers,” the governor added.
The article was originally published on Politics Nigeria.
