Figures have emerged that the death toll from the renewed hostilities between Tiv farmers and Agatu people at Rukubi village in Doma Local Government area of Nasarawa State on Tuesday has reached 60 with at least, 80 houses burnt.
While reports from the troubled community had indicated that security personnel had taken over the area since Tuesday evening, it was gathered that more corpses were later found in the bush on that fateful night and early on Wednesday morning.
According to an eyewitness, “the casualty figure is more than 60 because there are many corpses in the bush. When they invaded the village, all of them were armed with AK 47 and started shooting sporadically. So, everybody started running helter-skelter and those who tried to escape through the bush were killed by Tiv who had already laid ambush for them.
“Nobody can give an accurate figure for now. The incident took us unaware. I was even playing ‘Ludo game’ with a friend of mine when I heard gunshot. It was by the grace of God because I cannot say how it happened and how I found myself in Doma town. As I was running, I saw people lying in the pool of their blood.”
It was learnt further that the heavy presence of the fierce-looking combined mobile police officers drafted to the troubled area had temporarily encouraged some residents who had earlier vacated their respective homes to summon courage and went back to pick some of their carcass valuables. Most of them are currently taken refuge in Doma town.
The cause of the crisis has been linked to the accusation by the Tiv people to the community for harbouring Fulani mercenaries in the area whom they say have been attacking their kinsmen in farms and silently killing them, making farmers to abandon their farms in the past few weeks.
Meanwhile, Medagba Village, a Tiv settlement in Doma Local Government Area of the state was, on Wednesday morning, besieged by Fulani mercenaries, killing five people and burning more than 81 houses.
There has been a low-level conflict in Benue State between Tiv farmers and Fulani herdsmen for the past few weeks, resulting in the loss of lives and properties with numbers running into tens.
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