No fewer than 34 people have allegedly been killed following a reported mass shooting by gunmen at an Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp in Benue State, Nigeria while several others were severely injured.
The shooting reportedly rocked the local community of Nyiev Council Ward Benue State’s Guma Local Government Area on Friday at 9pm, as the men fired into LGEA Primary School Mgban.
According to reports from the residents, a pregnant woman and her son were among the dozens of people who died in the attack.
“Those left injured in the attack were taken to hospital.”
Christopher Waku, Security Adviser to the Guma government council, told local news outlet Daily Trust that those killed were taking refuge at the school after they were displaced from their homes.
He said that officials recovered 24 bodies from the classroom, with the remaining 10 “picked up along the road in the community”.
Mr Waku suspected the people were “killed while running away”.
He told the Daily Trust that the armed men were “suspected to be herders” and attacked the community of Mgban.
He concluded: “This killing can best be described as genocide.”
The attack follows a similar shooting, also suspected to have been carried out by armed herdsmen.
The gunmen opened fire on Umogidi village, in the Enetekpa Adoka district of Otukpo Local Government Area, Benue, killing approximately 51 people.
Bako Ejeh, Chairman of Otukpo LGA, announced the death toll had increased from initial estimates of 46 to 51 on Friday.
Mr Ejeh’s 33-year-old son was among those killed in the attack.
There have been massive condemnation of the unwarranted attack on people who had sought refuge in IDP camp.
