Reports reaching our news desk say no fewer than eight persons have been allegedly killed in a suspected cult attack in Aliade Street area of Makurdi, the Benue State capital.
The attack occurred in the early hours of Monday and is said to have caused panic in the area as residents ran for their lives.
Residents said the attackers came to the area at about 2 a.m. on motorcycles and to storm a residential compound while many occupants were sleeping.
Witnesses claimed the gunmen dragged out some residents and opened fire on them.
Four people died instantly in the first phase of the attack, community sources said.
The assailants also attacked some neighbors who ran out after hearing gunshots, causing more casualties, they said.
“It was a chaotic, traumatic incident,” an eyewitness who asked not to be named for security reasons told the BBC.
The attackers were coordinated and left the scene immediately after the shooting, the witness said.
Residents were keeping inside for fear of further attacks, with the incident creating tension in the neighbourhood.
The Chairman of Makurdi Local Government Area, Joseph Keffi, confirmed the incident and blamed it on suspected cult activities.
Preliminary investigations indicate the attack may be connected to a dispute between rival cult groups, Keffi said.
Some innocent residents were victims of violence for allegedly harbouring one of the persons linked to the dispute, he said.
The chairman of the council said security agencies had been mobilised to track down those behind the attack.
He also said a suspected cult leader, believed to be involved in several violent incidents in Makurdi, had been identified, although the suspect was said to have been outside Benue State when the attack happened.
The attack was also confirmed by the Benue State Commissioner of Police, Ifeanyi Emenari.
But he said the casualty numbers being released publicly could be higher than the official numbers available to the command.
After investigations and verification processes, Emenari said the police would release a detailed statement.
Security operatives are said to have cordoned off the affected area shortly after the attack while the bodies of the victims were evacuated to different morgues in Makurdi.
Fears of a resurgence of cult-related violence in some parts of Benue State have been amplified by the latest incident. Residents urged security agencies to intensify operations and improve intelligence gathering to avert more attacks.
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