In a continuing wave of violence, the death toll in the ongoing gang war in Benue State has reached 25, with three additional casualties reported in the Ayati community of Ukum Local Government Area.
The conflict initially ignited over the weekend, resulting in at least 22 fatalities in Chito and Tyo Akosu communities of Ukum LGA. This bloodshed stems from a brutal clash between two rival criminal gangs, known as the “Chain Gang” and “Full Fire” groups.
Disturbingly, the violence extended into the Ayati community on Sunday evening, where three more suspected gang members lost their lives. An anonymous source in the area lamented, “We cannot tell who is sympathetic to any group and who is not. That is why the fight is getting messier, and they are killing human beings as if they were animals.”
Ezra Nyiyongo, the legislator representing Ukum State Constituency in the State House of Assembly, has responded to the escalating violence by calling on the state government to intensify efforts to address the crisis.
Nyiyongo said, “We have been having these recurrences. You will hear that today 24 people were killed, other times 11, and it keeps on happening every other day. We as a government need to step up our strategy. I am particularly pained, and I believe the government is looking at it critically. As a legislator, I have reported it to my Speaker, and we will take it up with the Governor. I believe we will make headway sooner or later. I believe the governor, during our electioneering campaigns, promised to do everything to bring peace, even if it meant bringing the carrot approach to the so-called boys in the bush.”
He went on to express his frustration with the situation, saying, “Sometimes, I am ashamed because if it were external aggressors that were attacking us, then you could say there is a breakdown of law and order. But here we have a case whereby the same brothers from the same mother and father are pointing guns at each other. Who is going to report who? This is the situation I am facing. It is devastating. It is terrible.”
The rising death toll and the call for more decisive action highlight the urgent need for a resolution to the ongoing gang war in Benue State.