No fewer than three people have been killed in attacks carried out by suspected herdsmen in some Benue communities on Thursday.
The attacks were carried out in villages around Anyiin, a major town in Logo local government area.
The area is a base for police special forces and hosts one major Internally Displaced Persons camp.
The herdsmen were said to have stormed the area at about 8 p.m., shooting and burning houses.
Five people who sustained gunshot wounds were said to have been rushed to NKST Hospital in Anyiin Thursday night.
Two of the victims in the hospital died overnight.
The third victim was said to have been riding a motorcycle with another person when he was shot dead.
It would be recalled that in view of the unceasing attacks by suspected herdsmen on some communities in the North Central area of the country, the Nigerian Army has launched “Exercise Ayem Akpatuma” otherwise known as “Cat Race” to tackle the menace.
The operation is also designed to stop cases of kidnapping in Benue and other states.
The Chief of Training and Operations, Maj.-Gen. David Ahmadu, said on Wednesday in Abuja that the operation would run from February 15 to March 31 in Benue, Taraba, Kogi, Nasarawa, Kaduna and Niger states.
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The deployment came after several killings involving farmers and herdsmen in the north-central region of the country which resulted in several deaths and destruction of property worth millions of naira.
Ahmadu recalled that in 2017, the Army conducted several training activities for its personnel in different geo-political zones of the country, in line with its constitutional role in aid of civil authority.
“Exercise Ayem Akpatuma” has become more expedient due to the upsurge in cases of armed banditry, kidnapping and cattle rustling in Kaduna and Niger states,’’ he said.
The operation, he explained was necessary because of sundry crimes in Kogi State and herdsmen-farmers clashes and attacks on innocent members of our communities, particularly in Benue, Taraba and Nasarawa states by armed militias.
“These security challenges have continued unabatedly in these states despite the efforts by sister security agencies to curb them,” he said.
The Army chief further explained that the operation was necessary for troops to be exercised, refreshed and to imbibe the requisite skills to cope with emerging security challenges within the areas of responsibility in aid of civil authority.
