Militant sect members murder eight people in Benue village

A reported eight fatalities occurred at the hands of suspected cultists in the vicinity of Aliade Street, located in Makurdi, the capital city of Benue State.

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A local resident, who chose to remain anonymous, disclosed to PUNCH Online on Monday that the incident transpired in the early morning hours.

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According to the resident's account, a group of individuals invaded the street around 2 am on Monday, attacking and killing eight people residing in one of the houses on the street.

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Makurdi Local Government Area Chairman, Joseph Keffi, shed more light on the incident, stating that a group of young men rode motorcycles along the street between 2 am and 2:30 am on Monday.

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Upon arriving at Aliade Street, the young men entered a compound, where they found four individuals sleeping, woke them up, and shot them, according to Keffi.

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Keffi further explained that four other individuals, who had heard the gunshots, emerged to investigate and were also shot dead.

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The chairman described the incident as "ugly and pathetic," confirming that it occurred between 2 am and 2:30 am and was related to cult activity.

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According to Keffi, a cult member from North Bank had a dispute with his associates and sought refuge with a friend at High Level, but unfortunately, his friends and relatives who were killed were not cult members, merely accommodation providers.

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Keffi reported that he had notified all relevant security agencies, which assured him that they would apprehend the perpetrators.

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The chairman stated that the people had identified one of the cult group leaders, who had been terrorizing Makurdi and its surroundings for some time.

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This individual, according to Keffi, would enter the area, commit a crime, and leave, with the ability to evade capture, having been previously apprehended and released by the police.

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Keffi expressed hope that the police would take necessary action to arrest the individual, praising security agents for their prompt response to the incident.

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The area has been cordoned off, with security operatives actively pursuing the assailants, according to the council chairman.

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Corpses of the deceased have been deposited in the morgues of the Benue State University Teaching Hospital and a private hospital in Makurdi, as gathered by our correspondent.

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When contacted, Commissioner of Police Ifeanyi Emenari confirmed the incident in a telephone interview, stating that the reported casualty figure of eight was not accurate according to their records.

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CP Emenari noted that the Police Public Relations Officer would issue a statement on the cult-related incident later, reiterating that the actual casualty figure was lower than eight.