Attack by ‘herdsmen’ in central Nigeria leaves 17 dead

At least 17 people have been killed in central Nigeria in an attack blamed on herders, an official said Wednesday.

The attack occurred on the Ebete community in the Agatu Local Government Area of Benue state, the chief press secretary for Benue state Governor Samuel Ortom told reporters.

“The governor of Benue state met earlier today with the commissioner of police, and he confirmed that there was an attack on the Ebete community in Agatu earlier today in which 17 people were killed by suspected armed herdsmen,” said lterver Akase.

He said the attack could be politically motivated, coming days before the country's rescheduled general elections, which will take place Saturday.

“We feel that this is unfortunate because the governor has raised an alarm that some persons for political reasons are planning to unleash armed herdsmen on innocent Benue people, to create fear in the people for political gains, he was quoted by local newspaper The Nation as saying.

Adeyemi Yekini, head of a special military force in the area, confirmed the attack but said he had no information on how many died.

“I received a report this afternoon that some people were killed in Agatu by suspected armed bandits. I’m not sure of the number of casualties yet,” Yekini said in a terse statement.

The agrarian state of Benue has been the epicenter of a conflict over land rights, pitting farmers against herders.