Bandits Kill Seven Traders in Benue, Community Accuses Government of Neglect

Five traders have reportedly been slain and seven others injured in a new attack by armed bandits at Yanriwa Market in Benue State’s Kwande local government area.
According to information obtained, five people were killed when armed attackers broke into the market at around 3 p.m. while vendors were conducting business and started shooting intermittently.

After the 2024 Christmas Day attack, which claimed the lives of more than 20 farmers, a local resident named Lawrence Akerigba bemoaned in an interview with Leadership Newspaper that the federal government had broken its pledge to provide more security personnel to the towns.

“As I am talking to you, that road is no longer passable,” he said, referring to the herdsmen’s blockade of the Anwase road, the scene of the Christmas attack and killings.
According to Akerigba, the herdsmen’s actions have caused the majority of the area’s churches, schools, and marketplaces to close.

Nothing of that like has been done so far, he said. The government has left us to our own devices.

“The herdsmen’s attack took place in Liev 1 at Usambe in Ikyurav ya at approximately 3 noon.

However, when the herders entered the market while people were buying and selling and began shooting at them, the fun of selling turned violent.

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Five individuals were immediately killed, and seven others were hurt and transported to the hospital. Searches are still being conducted for a few more missing persons.

Because they are limited in number, the security personnel on the ground are not making much of an impact despite their best efforts to stop the attacks.