Suspected Cultists Kill Eight in Overnight Attack in Makurdi, Benue State
At least eight people were reportedly killed in a violent overnight attack by suspected cultists in Makurdi, the capital of Benue State, Nigeria. The incident occurred between 2:00 am and 2:30 am on Monday along Aliade Street. According to local residents and Joseph Keffi, Chairman of the Makurdi Local Government Area, assailants on motorcycles invaded a compound, shooting four sleeping individuals. Four others who emerged to investigate the gunshots were also fatally shot. Keffi described the act as cult-related retaliation, noting that the victims were not cult members but had harbored a member involved in an internal clash. He identified a specific cult leader responsible for ongoing terror in the area, who remains at large despite previous arrests. Security agencies have cordoned off the area and are pursuing the perpetrators. However, Ifeanyi Emenari, the Commissioner of Police, contested the casualty count, stating that official records indicate fewer than eight deaths. The bodies of the deceased have been deposited in local morgues while investigations continue.
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Suspected Cultists Kill Eight in Overnight Attack in Makurdi, Benue State
At least eight people were reportedly killed in a violent overnight attack by suspected cultists in Makurdi, the capital of Benue State, Nigeria. The incident occurred between 2:00 am and 2:30 am on Monday along Aliade Street. According to local residents and Joseph Keffi, Chairman of the Makurdi Local Government Area, assailants on motorcycles invaded a compound, shooting four sleeping individuals. Four others who emerged to investigate the gunshots were also fatally shot. Keffi described the act as cult-related retaliation, noting that the victims were not cult members but had harbored a member involved in an internal clash. He identified a specific cult leader responsible for ongoing terror in the area, who remains at large despite previous arrests. Security agencies have cordoned off the area and are pursuing the perpetrators. However, Ifeanyi Emenari, the Commissioner of Police, contested the casualty count, stating that official records indicate fewer than eight deaths. The bodies of the deceased have been deposited in local morgues while investigations continue.
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