Ortom imposes curfew as 7 ‘herdsmen’ are burnt alive in Benue

Samuel Ortom, governor of Benue state, has imposed a curfew on Gboko in Gboko local government area of Benue state, where seven persons, suspected to be herdsmen, were set ablaze.

The incident sparked tension in the town.

Commenting on the incident, Moses Yamu, spokesman of the police in the state, said “irate youth” from the town carried out the attack.

“It was a skirmish at the Gboko Central Motor Park. The police immediately mobilised to the park but on getting there, we found that seven male adults, whose identities are yet to be ascertained, but believed to be Fulani by tribe, had been attacked, murdered and their bodies set ablaze by some irate Gboko youth in and around the motor park,” he said in response to inquiries by TheCable.

TheCable gathered that some of the victims came to the park to board vehicles to Okene in Kogi state, while some were on their way to Taraba.

Fatai Owoseni, the state commissioner of police, said some persons sustained injuries in the attack.

In a statement by Tahav Agerzua, spokesman, of Ortom the governor directed security agencies to man all strategic location in the town to prevent a break down of law and order.

The governor appealed to the residents to comply with the curfew, adding that those exempted were essential workers with “convincing” identification.

While addressing journalists at the state police command headquarters in Markurdi, the state capital, Owoseni said the police had made some arrests regarding the incident.

He also said those arrested were currently being interrogated and helping in investigations.

“It is a pure act of criminality which has no ethnic or religious colouration,” Owoseni said.

“Those behind the dastard act will be apprehended and dealt with according to the law of the land.”