Ezza indigenes killed, others missing in fresh attack on Benue community

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Ezza indigenes killed, others missing in fresh attack on Benue community

Tension has escalated in Ado Local Government Area of Benue State following a renewed attack on Otsukputu community on Friday, resulting in the death of two individuals of Ezza extraction and the disappearance of several others.

According to a statement issued on Saturday by the Ezza Ezekuna Benue Development Association, EEBDA, the victims—Mr Jude Nweke and Mrs Nwankwo Umanyi—were brutally murdered in what community leaders described as an unprovoked assault, allegedly perpetrated by suspected Effium attackers.

The President-General of EEBDA, Perpetual Nkechi Okafor, and the chairman of the association’s board of trustees, Chief Ogbuefi Nweke Linus Chinedu, who both signed the statement, strongly condemned the attack and called for immediate government intervention.

The group expressed deep concern over the ongoing targeting of Ezza communities in Ado LGA, revealing that several individuals remain unaccounted for in the aftermath of Friday’s incident.

“We are calling on the Benue State governor, the Inspector-General of Police, and all relevant security agencies to urgently intervene and halt the ongoing violence against our people. It is imperative to establish security camps in the affected areas to protect lives and property and restore peace in Ado LGA,” the statement read in part.

The association also appealed to non-governmental organisations and civil society actors to lend their voices and resources towards addressing the growing humanitarian crisis in the region.

The latest incident marks another chapter in the persistent communal clashes that have plagued parts of Benue and neighbouring Ebonyi State, as tensions between the Effium and Ezza communities continue to escalate, claiming lives and displacing families.

At the time of filing this report, security operatives had yet to issue an official statement regarding the incident.