Gunmen kill two tourists in Kaduna, 11 in Benue

Suspected kidnappers in the early hours of Saturday invaded a resort in the Kajuru Local Government Area of Kaduna State and shot dead two persons including an expatriate, a woman.

It was also learnt that the gunmen abducted three persons.

Also in the early hours of Saturday, unidentified gunmen killed 11 persons in Ngibo and Tse-Aye villages in the Ikyurav-Tiev 1, council ward of Katsina-Ala Local Government Area of Benue State.

Sources told one of our correspondents that after the gunmen killed four persons in Ngibo village and seven in Tse Aye village, they allegedly rustled 28 cattle belonging to one Agwaza Atedze.

Meanwhile, spokesman for the police in Kaduna State, Yakubu Sabo, confirmed the killing of two persons in the crisis-prone Kajuru.


In a statement, Sabo said the suspected kidnappers stormed the resort, popularly called Kajuru Castle, and killed two guests believed to be tourists from Lagos on the spot.

He said a patrol team, led by the Kajuru Divisional Police Officer, had removed the bodies to St. Gerard Catholic Hospital in Kaduna metropolis.

He said investigation later revealed that 12 tourists from Lagos were partying at the resort before the incident occurred.

Sabo added, “Normally before such an social event happen, the organisers would inform us for security coverage, but the party was done without the knowledge of the police in the area as traditionally done.”

According to him, the state Commissioner of Police, Ahmad Abdurrahman, had promised that they would apprehend the perpetrators of the attack.

A source revealed that the bandits, who attacked Ngibo and Tse Aye, shot indiscriminately immediately they rode on motorcycles into the villages between 3am and 4am.

It was learnt that many of the villagers had fled the communities for fear of another attack.

Spokesman for the police in Benue, DSP Catherine Anene, confirmed the incidents.

She said the DPO in charge of Katsina-Ala had responded to directive to deal with the situation.

However, Anene could not confirm the casualty figure.

Also confirming the report, Force Commander of the Operation Whirl Stroke, Maj Gen Adeyemi Yekini, said the clash was between the Shitile and Ikyurav people of the area, adding that troops had moved to restore calm to the two communities.