Five people were allegedly killed early hours of Thursday in Gyenku village in Ukum Local Government Area of Benue State. Our correspondent gathered that the killings were occasioned by the continuing crisis between the Jukuns and Tivs residing at the border communities of the two states. 

The Chairman of Ukum LGA, Tor-Tyokaa Ibellogo told newsmen in Makurdi that some gunmen attacked the rural community of Gyenku while the people were setting out for their daily farming activities and opened fire on them, killing the five persons and injuring one. Ibellogo said that the injured person was already hospitalised. 

He said no houses were torched in the process, adding however that the joint committee on Tiv/Jukun crisis had planned to visit him next week before the latest incident occurred yesterday. 

At the time of sending this report, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) for Benue Command, DSP Sewuese Anene, said she was yet to receive any information about the incident. 

Meanwhile, the Force Commander of Operation Whirl Stroke (OPWS), Major General Adeyemi Yekini, in a reply to a message sent to him by our correspondent, stated, “it’s a blatant lie. Nobody was killed around the area. I deployed troops at Kente to improve security along the axis.” 

Yekini added that his troops had not reported any incident of killings or attacks in the axis even as the time of this report.

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