KEY POINTS

• Gunmen killed 13 people in an attack on Anwase Market in Kwande LGA, Benue State.
• The assault followed another attack two days earlier in Abande community.
• Community leaders warn of worsening insecurity as residents flee their homes amid repeated violence.

Gunmen suspected to be armed herdsmen have killed at least 13 people in a renewed attack on a community in Benue State, barely days after a similar assault claimed several lives in the same local government area.

The herdsmen reportedly stormed Anwase Market in Mbaikyor, Kwande Local Government Area, on Friday, shooting indiscriminately at traders and residents.

Witnesses said the herdsmen also set parts of the market ablaze before abducting several women and fleeing towards a nearby mountainous area.

An aide to the Kwande Local Government Chairman, Ibi Andrew, confirmed the incident in a telephone interview with Channels Television, stating that 13 people were killed.

He added that the council chairman, Vitalis Neji, alongside security agencies, had moved to the area to restore calm and prevent further violence.

Eyewitness Accounts

According to an eyewitness, the herdsmen descended from a mountain close to the community, firing sporadically and causing panic among market-goers.

Several stalls were torched by the herdsmen during the attack, while the abducted women were reportedly taken into the surrounding hills.

As of the time of filing this report, the Benue State Police Command had yet to officially confirm the incident. Calls and messages to the police spokesperson, Udeme Edet, were not returned.

The latest attack comes just two days after another deadly assault on Abande community, also in Kwande LGA, where at least 16 people were killed during market hours.

Residents said gunmen invaded the area on Tuesday afternoon, shooting civilians, looting shops and setting parts of the market on fire.

A community leader and former supervisory councillor in the area, Lawrence Akerigba, disclosed that the attackers carted away millions of naira from traders before burning the market.

He added that one mobile police officer, believed to be the unit commander on duty, was among those killed.