Hundreds of women, children missing, hiding in bushes as army revenge raid continues in Benue

FIJ

One straight week after embarking on a vengeful raid of Konshinsha Local Government Area of Benue State, following the killing of 12 soldiers by bandits, Nigerian soldiers are still unleashing mayhem and destruction on defenseless civilians “after killing and displacing hundreds of them”.

Benue State is notorious for its numerous security challenges, such as farmer-herder clashes, activities of armed militia groups, kidnapping, armed banditry, communal clashes and boundary disputes.

After studying a classified military document last week, FIJ had reported how the soldiers were taken out by the bandits in batches of five and seven, with their bodies set ablaze and dumped in a forest near Gbinde Village.

A military source had told our reporter how the late soldiers were deceived by the bandits to trust them and leave their rifles without disarming them. The bandits collected their rifles, killed all the soldiers and burnt their bodies. The officers were subsequently laid to rest at the military cemetery close to Wurukwum roundabout in Makurdi, capital of Benue State.

However, hundreds of children are missing while displaced persons are seeking refuge at nearby villages while some are hiding in bushes. Yet hundreds of soldiers are still laying siege to Konshisha and other neighbouring communities.

The defence headquarters (DHQ) of the Nigerian Army had claimed that its troops had killed only bandits and not residents of Konshisha. But accounts from locals and eyewitnesses revealed how soldiers had murdered “dozens of innocent civilians who knew nothing about the killing of the soldiers”.

It was also gathered that the soldiers had cut off access to the community, making it difficult to retrieve the lifeless bodies of some of the murdered residents.

“They’re standing guards over the community, so it’s difficult for anyone to penetrate at the moment, not even journalists. You’re going to be embarrassed and answer a lot of questions,” a local told FIJ.

“They’re still looking for the bandits. I don’t know how the bandits will stay in one place for the army to come and attack them. They’re just passing anger on the people.”

A community journalist who had tried to document the plight of citizens killed by the soldiers was said to have had the beating of his life in the hands of the soldiers. His phones and gadgets were seized by the army officers, in an attempt to cover up their mess.

“They must not see anybody with an android phone around. You cannot even move closer to the community. They’re still there. A journalist that tried it was harassed and embarrassed,” another source said.

Read the full story in FIJ