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13 killed in fresh gunmen attack in Nigeria

06 March 2014 21:46 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. At least 13 people were killed on Thursday when gunmen stormed four villages in a local government area in Nigeria's north central state of Benue, where violent clashes have increased in past weeks, authorities and other sources have confirmed, APA reports quoting Xinhua.

Benue State governor Gabriel Suswam said the gunmen who perpetrated the fresh attack may not be herdsmen, although recent reports emanating from the state had linked violent attacks to local herdsmen sojourning in the province.

"Attack is going on in Kwande by these terrorists as we talk now. They have moved from Logo through Katsina Ala and they are in Kwande now. It means they are recycling us, but I want to appeal to the people not to take laws into their hands as government has sent security operatives to maintain peace in the affected areas," said Suswam while briefing reporters in Makurdi, the state capital, about the incident.

Police authorities in the state also confirmed the attack, saying a detachment of cops had been sent to the area restore peace.

Residents told Xinhua that four villages were affected in the attack which paralyzed human and vehicular movement in Kwande local government area on Thursday morning.

Many house were razed by the ruthless attackers who stormed the communities with modern weapons, according to Ojene Barnabas, a female resident who witnessed the incident.

"So far, 13 lifeless bodies had been found by rescuers after the eight-hour attack," added Barnabas, noting the affected villages are located near a boundary between Nigeria and Cameroon.

The northern part of Nigeria is plagued by violent clashes, some of which include the Boko Haram attack in the West African country's northeast region, the communal clash in the central state of Plateau which shares borders with many northern states, among others.

Benue State has witnessed more of these attacks, frequently attributed to local herdsmen who often clash with residents of the local communities.