Following a renewed antagonism between the Bonta community of Konshisha and the Okpute community of Oju local government areas of Benue State, a number of people have been slain and many others have been taken hostage.
Many houses were also razed, according to a source from one of the warring communities who spoke to a Gossipinfo correspondent.
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The renewed enmity, according to the source, was also the result of a new offensive against the Tiv-speaking village of Bonta by mercenaries purportedly hired by the Igede-speaking town of Okpute.
“A peasant farmer from Bonta, Oraduen Tseeneke, was beheaded on his land in Tse Dio yesterday by people said to be hired mercenaries from Okpute,” he stated. They also took an elderly man named Mkari, who has remained unidentified until now.
Not only that, but Tse Dio was demolished by fire yesterday, with more than 17 dwellings being burned to ashes. Terngu Kyado, another young man, was also shot and is currently fighting for his life. Later that day, there was an unconfirmed rumor that the same individuals kidnapped some women.”
Fighting, he said, was still going on.
“It may interest you to know that there is still a serious gun fight between the two groups as I speak with you. Well, I can’t say what’s going on in Okpute because I’m not from that axis, but trust me when I say they could be affected by this situation as well,” the person stated.
He urged the appropriate authorities to act quickly to restore peace in the conflicting groups.
“I want to call on our leaders at all levels, particularly the state government, to act quickly to put a stop to this scenario while they look for a solution to create lasting peace between the two communities,” he said.
In April, the Nigerian military bombed Bonta, Adoka, Gungul, Agidi, and many more towns/villages in the Shangev Tiev axis, according to the local government of Konshisha. Hundreds of unarmed citizens are said to have been slain, and property worth millions of naira has been damaged.
The Nigerian army, on the other hand, denied the bombardment.
According to Mohammed Yerima, the then-Army spokesperson, one officer and ten soldiers were ambushed and murdered in Konshisha.