Two persons suspected to have been part of the rented fighters who carried out an early morning attack on Igama Village in the lower part of Edemoga District in Okpokwu Local Government Area of Benue State, central Nigeria yesterday have been arrested. It is expected that they will be a source of credible information about who sent them and why, hoping that nothing happens to them suddenly in the hands of the security.
Intervention understands that the two each had a gun. Two handsets have already been taken away from them.
Benue State Deputy-Governor, Engineer Benson Abounu was in the village today to see things for himself but nearly everyone who went to the village today told this newspaper that there are no words to describe the scale of destruction and the violence of the killing. Each house was doused in petrol and set on fire. So grisly is also the manner of killing of the human beings that encountered the mercenaries. Being mostly young and strong persons, all those killed were subjected to horrific treatment. The number has risen to 14 today with the discovery of three additional bodies around the village.
No less than a hundred mercenaries are speculated to have been involved in the operation, making it impossible for successful escape by those that they came for.
As it is now, the village has no residents besides the troops keeping an eye on it. Survivors having all left for safety at the Ojapo Open Field, Ojapo being the commercial nerve centre of the predominantly agrarian belt.
A mass burial is being contemplated but nobody could confirm to Intervention when. Tomorrow, June 14th, 2022 is being ruled out because of the cultural and medical logistics involved but there is stressed the case urgency in doing so.
The greater part of the crisis, it is understood, is caring for the internally displaced people. Unlike Owo which got prominent visitors with voice and visibility, Igama is tucked away in the middle of nowhere and may not attract much attention even as tremendous as the challenges. These are feeding the multitude, rebuilding the community and restoring the communal psyche.
