Gbagir village in Ukum LGA of Benue State became a battleground on Tuesday as rival bandit groups clashed, leaving a trail of death and destruction.
The battle was between a militia gang in Ukum and a Fulani militia gang from Taraba State which joined forces with another gang in Ukum.
The violence claimed over 30 lives, mainly members of the conflicting militia gangs. But locals, including 12 farmers and a family of seven, were victims of the deadly crossfire.
The genesis of the violent conflict was the abduction of a Fulani militia kingpin called Alhaji Gana, and his family members from the Shinkai community in Taraba State by a Tiv militia leader in Ukum.
Despite a ransom payment of N5 million against the demanded N100 million, the hostages were killed.
This act of brutality caused an alliance between the slain Gana’s gang and a rival Tiv militia group in Ukum.
“The murder of the people triggered the fight among his gang members in Taraba State. This happened over the weekend,” a local chief said.
“What followed was that another militia gang leader in Ukum now went and joined forces with the Fulani militia gang in Taraba to help them eliminate the rival gang in Ukum that killed their leader, Alhaji Gana. The essence was to enable him to be the head of the militia in Ukum.”
“The combined forces of Fulani and Tiv militia gangs started moving into the bushes of Gbagir in their hundreds from Sunday to sack the gang that killed Alhaji Gana. And on Tuesday morning the bloody fight ensued.”
He said that though the military troops of Operation Whirl Stroke, OPWS, intervened to stop the crisis from escalating further. Yet, the battle is not yet over.
“As we speak these people are still in the bushes in Ukum, they have not moved back to Taraba,” the chief said, “Over 1,000 of them have laid siege on Ukum LGA.”
Ezinwanne Onwuka, senior staff reporter and columnist with WAP is a Nigerian-based writer and content developer. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy from the prestigious University of Nigeria, Nsukka. Her interests include reading, writing, researching and graphic designing.
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