An early morning Thursday attacks on Mtswenem and Akondotyough Bawa communities in North Bank, Makurdi, Benue State, have left at least 25 people dead.

While the police confirmed the attacks, they didn’t give a casualty figure.

However, Saturday PUNCH gathered that 25 corpses were recovered after the attack.

The spokesperson for the Benue Police Command, Udeme Edet, said police had been deployed to the affected communities.

“The police are on the ground there and still gathering information. Be patient, we will make the casualty figure available as soon as we get the complete information,” she said.

The attackers were said to have invaded the communities between 12am on Thursday and operated for close to two hours.

A resident of one of the communities, who simply identified himself as Aondofa, said, “They were armed herders and they stormed the communities around midnight on Thursday and operated till 2am They broke into people’s homes, forcefully breaking doors and windows, and butchered their victims.”

Aondofa, who said the attack was unprovoked, claimed, “Twenty-five corpses, including women and children, have been recovered.”

He added that some of the residents managed to escape, while others fled for safety, with some still missing. (Saturday PUNCH, but headline rejigged)