Four individuals, including a soldier, lost their lives on Friday night in attacks attributed to suspected cultists in the North Bank suburb, of Makurdi, Benue State.
The area is notorious for recurrent clashes among rival cult groups.
Eyewitness accounts suggest that two of the victims were innocent civilians caught in the crossfire of a deadly rampage by the suspected cultists.
According to Nura Umar, the chairman of Operation Shara, a local vigilante group tasked with maintaining order in the North Bank area, the attacks occurred late on Friday between 10 and 11 p.m.
“These cultists wreaked havoc yesterday night,” Umar recounted. “A soldier and two boys were killed. It happened around the BIPC [Benue Investment and Property Company] area. Those boys were not cultists. They were simply unfortunate victims targeted by these criminals. The night before, on Thursday, another individual, believed to be a cultist, was killed while sleeping in his house.”
Despite Umar’s assertion of multiple fatalities, the Benue State Police Command provided a different account of events.
Catherine Anene, spokesperson for the state police, acknowledged the cult-related activities in the North Bank area but confirmed only one death. “Yes, there were cult activities in North Bank, but I am aware of only one person killed, a young civilian,” she stated.
Anene also disclosed that security personnel had been deployed to the area in response to the unrest. “Operatives have been sent to the scene to restore calm and investigate the situation further,” she assured.
