Latest news with #herdsmen
BBC News
3 days ago
- BBC News
'Dem rape me eight times in seven hours' - Women share terrible experiences from Benue attack
"Di herders storm di area, dem first capture some of us [women] dem keep us for a separate place bifor dem attack and start to shoot and kill di men wey no dey lucky to survive." Na so one survivor from di community, Edikwu Ankpali for Apa local goment area of Benue state, wia suspected herdsmen attack, tell BBC Pidgin. as she tori wetin hapun and her experience. Suspected herdsmen bin attack di community between Sunday June 1st and Monday June 2nd. Dem kill pipo, and now, we dey hear tori from di women wey dem also rape. Ova ten women for dat community tori say dem rape dem, some of dem still dey hospital. Women narrate di emotional and sexual trauma wey dem face for di hands of di attackers. One of di victims tell BBC Pidgin say na eight times dem rape her in di space of seven hours. She say afta dem begin attack some of di men, dem begin gang rape women for di community. "Dem rape me rape eight times before day break, odas 10 times. Di herders reach like 50 in number." She tok. Di youth leader Odogbo Ngbede also tell BBC Pidgin say, "we no know wia our wives dey again", dis na as some of di women still dey miss. Anoda victim say she bin sit down wit her sick elderly father bifor dem come, "dem kill my papa, come carry me go one place to rape me", she tok wit sadness. Di women tell BBC Pidgin say dem dey in pain as dem no fit waka well for days now. Di victims of di rape dey between 35 and 60 years old. ' I lose more dan six of my family members' Madam Sarah (no be her real name) wey run comot from village go di local goment headquarters tell BBC Pidgin say, di suspected herdsmen don pursue her from village like odas too wey dey relocate. She narrate say dem kill her papa wey be elderly man and some of her cousins and until now, dem neva see dia deadibody. She add say like say dem dey alive, dem for don come out from wia dem run go hide for safety. "Dem kill almost all my family members, I no go go back unless goment do sometin to help us. If peace no comeback to my village, I no dey go back. Hunger dey kill us, we no fit go farm again, na outside I dey sleep all dis while, bifor i run comot from di village dem don kill 29 pipo. She say na by di grace of God she survive 'Dem bin tell us say di pipo dey come do peace tok-tok wit us' - Community leader Afta retirement as Deputy Comptroller of Immigration, Mr Eyigege Ikwutole say make im come rest for village. But as di current community leader, di peace wey im find come village don turn to serious attacks and sad stories. Im tok say im no fit imagine say pipo wey dem no get any problem wit go just come enta dia community just to attack, kill pipo and tiff dia tins. "Dem bin tell us say di pipo [suspected herdsmen] dey come do peace tok-tok wit us. So we like peace na why we accept dem, around 3:30 pm, dem enta our community we welcome dem, dem stay wit us and we dey share evritin wit dem, di tins wey we get for house we share wit dem too until around 4:00pm dat same day. Some pipo wey dey go toilet come see pipo wey wear all black clothes wey carry guns [AK 47 and AK 49] so dem run back to di village to alert evribody, but bifor pipo go even park dia tins to run comot, di herdsmen don already takeova dos places too." Di community leader say dem still dey retrieve deadi bodi. "Dem just dey kill pipo evriwia, up till now. we still dey find some pipo inside bush becos we neva see dem wit us since dat day. We assume say either dem kill dem or dem capture dem, carry dem go." Di retired immigration officer say dem no go fit secure dia sef sake of say law for Nigeria no dey allow individuals to carry or buy gun just like dat. Im add say na why dem dey beg goment to help dem becos dem no fit do dia farming again and dem dey helpless. "Anytin we plant dem go uproot am, even our well sef dem dey use force dey fetch di water. But our elders bin don warn us make we no react negatively and na wetin we dey do since." Im add say na only men wey fit fight dey for di village now, di women and children run go di local goment headquarters to take cover and im no know how di pipo for village dey take survive. As death toll bin dey increase, police bin deploy tactical teams to flash points as army chief bin also visit communities for di state. 'We dey under seige' - Govnor Alia Meanwhile, Benue State Governor Hycinth Alia tok for Channels TV interview say im no dey see di attacks as clash between farmers and herders, again. Im say specialised killers dey involved and terrorists wey dey engage like say na guerrilla war dem dey fight. "Di way dis attacks come and di intel we receive, na direct and calibrated plan and dem go execute am. Evriday, we dey receive dis intel dem. Of late, each of di intel we receive, 60 to 65 per cent of am dey quite accurate. "And den wen you realise wetin dey go on, e dey beyond just conflict, e dey beyond just ethnic fight between herders and farmers for our state, e dey directed, e dey planned and den, dem go execute am, na terrorism." "For some reason, dem no dey eva catch any of dem. Dem dey come for middle of di night, hit and run and nobody dey see any trace. So, na terrorism wey dey eat us up," im tok. Suspected herdsmen attack both residents of Tse-Antswam for Naka town, wey be headquarters of Gwer West LGA and Edikwu Ankpali for Apa local goment area of Benue state between Sunday 1June and Monday 2nd June, 2025. Ova 50 pipo die for di attack and some pipo still dey miss.
BBC News
7 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Benue attacks: 'Dem come guerrilla style and begin dey butcher pipo'
Di number of pipo wey don die from di attacks on Gwer West and Apa Local Goment Areas of Benue State don rise to ova 50 local authorities tok. Suspected herdsmen attack residents of Tse-Antswam for Naka town, wey be headquarters of Gwer West LGA and Edikwu Ankpali for Apa local goment area of Benue state. Tori be say many pipo die, as oda pipo run to save dia lives. According to di Chairman of Gwer West Council Mr. Victor Ormin and di traditional council, Chief Daniel Abomtse bin confam say dem bin recover 21 deadibody on Sunday. Chief Abomtse di Ter Nagi, tok say di attackers bin come in guerrilla style wen dem attack Tse Antswam. Im add say many pipo get different degree of injuries. "In fact, di way dem butcher some of di pipo I doubt if dem go survive, we still dey search becos many pipo bin run inside bush wit gun wounds and some also enta inside well to escape di herdsmen," di monarch tok. According to Chief Abomtse, di community wey dis attack happun dey directly opposite di military check point along Naka/ Makurdi road. Edikwu record 37 deaths Meanwhile for Edikwu Ankpali for Apa Local Goment Area, di causality figure hit na 37. Di Chairman of Apa Local Goment Area, Adam Ogwola, wey confam di tori say dem still dey expect di number of death victims to increase as dem still dey search and dem dey see more deadbody. "Di attack dey devastating" "Di pipo wey wound dey for general hospital already and dey get medical attention". One community leader, John Ikwu also confam say dem bin see 25 deadbody on Sunday for Edikwu Ankpali. Di community leader say time don reach wey dem go begin confront di jaguda pipo as im describe di killing as barbaric and unwarranted. Im say na heartless killers dey attack dia communities evriday without control. For statement wey di Benue State Police Command release on Monday, through dia tok-tok pesin Udeme Edet, dem say di Commissioner of Police, Emenari Ifeanyi don relocate di Area Commander to Apa. Im also direct di tactical team to take over Naka as im deploy resources to flash points for di state including Apa and Gwer-west Local Goment Areas. For police statement, dem tok say na ten and twelve pipo die for di two attacks and five odas bin dey hospital. "For di last one month, personnel wey we post to dis areas don dey fight wit dis attackers and dem don suppress dem for most areas. Unfortunately, dis bandits dey search for vulnerable pesins and attack dem, dem kill some pipo on 1st June, 2025." Di CP dem redeploy personnel to cover up entries and exits to flash points. In di last two weeks, tori about different type of death don full for social media and news channels. Benue state na one of di flash points wey suspected herders dey attack communities and kill pipo. For April, di number of death for Benue herdsmen attack on Logo and Gbagir rise to 56. Even though di govnor bin don condemn dis attacks many times, e still dey happun.
