Suspected herdsmen in the early hours of yesterday attacked the Mbanyiar community and chased away the acting district head of Mbawa in Guma Local Government Area of Benue State, Tyoor Oliver Chado, from his house.
Narrating his ordeal to reporters on phone from his hiding place, Chado said the herdsmen who were heavily armed with sophisticated weapons raped his wife and two of his in-laws and destroyed crops stored in a barn.
He told the reporters that the herdsmen had in the past week invaded the area and killed domestic animals, including goats, pigs and chickens, and taken some away.
Chado, who said the militia herdsmen numbering 11 attacked his home around 2:00 a.m., thanked God that he was able to escape alive from the attackers.
“My wife and two of my in-laws were unfortunately tortured and raped by the marauding herdsmen who also destroyed my farm crops.
“Since the incident happened, I have not seen my wife and the two in-laws, but the livestock guard who has gone to the area told me they were tortured and raped, but not killed.
“I have reported the matter to the police and sent a vehicle to go and convey my family to where I am now taking refuge,” Chado said.
According to him, the herdsmen uprooted his cassava and used the melon and yam from his barn to feed their animals.
Chado said the herdsmen “who are settled in Uvir in Mbabai usually come from there to attack our people. When they came last week, they chased away my people at Tse-Agudu and settled there. Tse-Agudu is less than a kilometre from my house.”
When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer, Benue State Command, Catherine Sewuese Anene, said she was yet to receive the report.
Not less than 4000 herdsmen had invaded Guma, the home local government of Governor Samuel Ortom. Since 2013, the local government area has witnessed a series of attacks by the herdsmen who are said to be currently occupying some communities in the area.
