Gunmen suspected to be members of a wanted militia gang leader, Terwase Akwaza, invaded Wankya settlement, Zaki-Biam town, Ukum Local Government Area of Benue State, killing two persons and abducted another.
A source who spoke to The PUNCH said the killers invaded the area around 11.30pm on Saturday, with guns and broke into the homes of the victims.
The source gave the names of those killed as Saater Wantu, a younger brother to the Benue state correspondent of The Guardian Newspaper, and Denen, a recharge card seller in the settlement.
The third victim, Terseer Wantu, escaped unhurt.
Narrating the ordeal, Wantu said he and his brother, now deceased, had gone to bed without any sign of an imminent attack.
He explained that they were suddenly awakened when bandits invaded their home. According to him, the invaders took the occupants away to an unknown destination at gunpoint.
He said, “The assailants took the three of us away to a bush path and asked me to lie faced down and move away with the two others who were eventually killed.
“After a while, they asked me to go but l lost my way because I could not locate my way home, so l decided to sleep in the bush till daybreak before I managed to trace my way back home in the morning.”
He noted that the matter had since been reported to the divisional police officer in Zaki Biam and that useful statements had been made regarding the attack.
A policeman at the Zaki Biam Divisional Police Office, who craved anonymity, confirmed the incident and said the corpses of the victim were recovered from a bush path close to Tse- Manger settlement in the area.
He added that the corpses had been deposited at St. Anthony’s Catholic Hospital, Zaki- Biam.
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