Gunmen, suspected to be herdsmen, on Monday attacked Abebe community in Keana Local Government Area of Nasarawa state killing a Catholic Church leader, Mr. Augustine Avertse, and three others during the attack.
The gunmen, who were said to have been armed with sophisticated weapons, attacked the community at about 10:pm, and shot sporadically, forcing inhabitants of the community to scamper for safety.
One of the victims, Mr. Augustine Avertse, church leader of Saint Augustine’s Catholic Church, Abebe, alongside his father, Avertse Akaa’am, were reportedly shot at close range while trying to escape into a nearby bush.
Also killed during the attack were Uwongul John Akodi and one who simply identified as Monday, who was said to be a visitor to the community.
However, Mr. Vitalis Adam and Friday Gboko escaped with varying degrees of gunshot injuries and currently receiving treatment at the General Hospital Obi.
One of the survivals, Mr. Vitalis Adam, who spoke with our correspondent on his hospital bed in Obi, averred that the attack was unprovoked as there had never been any form of misunderstanding between members of the community and the Fulani herdsmen living around the area.
Another survival, who narrowly escaped death, asserted that the gunmen might have been on a mission to rub a member of the attacked community of the over N200,000.00 realised from the sales of some farm produce that took place in the afternoon of the fateful day.
“But the confusion is that if the attackers were on a mission to rub, while was it that they did not take away anything, including the monies found in the pockets of some of their victims?”
“I think the incident is a sign that another round of crises between herders and Tiv herders in the southern senatorial zone of the state is about to commence if care is not taken.”
President of the Tiv Youth Organisation in Nasarawa state, Comrade Peter Ahemba, confirmed the incident to newsmen in Lafia, alleging that the unprovoked attack was a calculated attempt by enemies of peace to cause another round of crisis within the state.
According to him, “it is unfortunate that while Governor Abdullahi Sule-led administration is working hard to ensure a peaceful Nasarawa state, some selfish individuals were working hard to sabotage government’s efforts.
The youth President, however, commended the prompt response of the authorities of Keana Local Government Area, security operatives, traditional institution and other stakeholders in the area, just as he called on the Tiv youths to remain calm in the face of the provocation.
When contacted, Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, of the Nasarawa state command, Ramhan Nansel, claimed that command was yet to be briefed on the incident and as at the time of filling this report.