No fewer than 38 people including women and children have been reportedly killed by armed herdsmen in Takalafia and Gwanja rural communities of Karu Local Government Area of Nasarawa State, North-Central Nigeria.
State Deputy Governor, Emmanuel Akabe, who led the government delegation to the mass burial, condemned the killings and destruction of property worth millions of Naira in the affected communities.
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He said that government would investigate the circumstances leading to the attacks and bring the perpetrators to book. He also assured that relief materials will be provided for the displaced victims as he encouraged the communities to give credible information to relevant authorities.
Pastor in charge of Evangelical Church Winning All, ECWA, Reverend Daniel Danbeki, and others, were gruesomely murdered by the assailants during the late-night attack that lasted till the early hours of Saturday.
Neighboring communities such as Gwanja, Angwan Bege, Angwan Madaki, and Gidan Allah, occupied predominantly by Gwandara, Mada, and Yeskwa tribes, were also attacked by the suspected killer herdsmen.
The report has it that the attack was a result of a disagreement between a farmer and herdsman after cattle grazed on the farm and ate his newly planted crops, including groundnut and maize.
Injured victims brought in from Takalafiya and other communities are receiving treatment at the Federal Medical Centre Keffi.
(Editor: Terverr Tyav)