Angry youths who were in a burial rites from Oleigada Ikolo in Agatu local government area of Benue State on Saturday attacked soldiers killing one and injured two.
An eyewitness who spoke to Tribune Online said that the youths were at a burial at Oleigada Ikolo village and shot sporadically to the air as part of funeral rites, the gun shot was said to have attracted soldiers who were on guide at Oweto bridge a boundary between Nasarawa and Benue states.
The soldiers were said to have traced the gun shots to a neighboring village (Oleigada Ikolo) where they discovered there was an ongoing funeral which an eyewitness said necessitated the gun shot as part of the village funeral rites.
The eyewitness told our correspondent that when the soldiers stormed the area they sighted one of the youths with a Dane gun and argument ensued between them leading to one of the soldiers allegedly shot at the ring leader of the youths, incidentally, the bullet could not penetrate.
The irate youths said the eyewitness went on rampage and shot at the soldiers leading to the death of one and the two others who were critically injured.
Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State confirmed the attack during the stakeholders meeting held in government house, Makurdi.
According to him, ‘at the time we are making peace in the troubled Agatu communities some irate youths at the weekend who were at the burial attacked and killed one soldier while two others were seriously injured, they also snatched their rifles”.
“Although, the riffles were recovered on Sunday through the efforts of the commandant”, he however directed elders and stakeholders from the area to ensure that the perpetrators of the act are arrested and made to face the wrath of the law.
“Thank God some of the elders and stakeholders from Agatu are here, i know that it is not in your own interest that these youths are taken law into their hands, please, help us and help yourself to get those behind the attack arrested, they are not good element but bad element in our society,” Ortom said.
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