Cephas Iorhemen 
Gunmen suspected to be from the Fulani extraction on Wednesday launched a deadly attack on hunters in the Okpomaju community in the Otukpo Local government area of Benue State leaving at least five of them dead.
The gruesome attack, New Telegraph gathered, came in spite of the resolution reached by the two sides to end the intractable hostility between the armed herders and the hunters.
Several other people were also said to have sustained varying degrees of injuries during the evening attack.
The incident occured after the traditional ruler of Otukpo, the Och’Otukpo Odu, Chief John Eimonye and the leaders of the armed herders on Tuesday resolved among others to ensure peaceful co-existence and expose criminals found amongst the two parties.
The resolution came after one herdsman and two hunters had been killed.
However, the renewed hostility accompanied by the massive killings and alleged destruction of houses at Okpomaju appeared to have bruised aside the peaceful resolution.
A source from the area told reporters in confidence that “the attack was unprovoked as the hunters were at home at Okpomaju when the armed herders, numbering over 12, stormed the village with sophisticated guns, shooting sporadically.
According to the source, “In the process, they killed Peter, popularly known as JPG and Moses, while others ran in different directions into the nearby bushes with gunshots.
“So far, we have recovered three dead bodies from those who ran to the bush making a total of five. The fifth was recovered near the Odudaje stream.
“As I speak with you, we are at the graveside, burying one of the victims and are awaiting the other bodies from the mortuary. We are with over 200 Otukpo hunters.”
New Telegraph gathered that many people have been rendered homeless from the contiguous villages of Odudaje, Amla, Emichi and Otukpo-Icho, among others.
Some survivors said that the deafening sound of gunshots from the herders was too frightening for them to stay in their homes.
Chairman of Otukpo Local Government Council, Mr Maxwell Ogiri, said security agents, including soldiers and the police, had been deployed to Okpomaju to protect the residents and forestall further breakdown of law and order.
Efforts to get the reaction of the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in the state, CSP Catherine Anene were unsuccessful as she did not pick up her calls.
