At least nine mourners including a traditional ruler have been reportedly killed by unknown gunmen in Mbacher area of Katsina-Ala local government area of Benue State.
Our correspondent gathered from the locals that the gunmen in their numbers stormed the venue of the wake-keep in honour of a Tax Collector identified as Aster Nor, and started shooting sporadically at mourners on sight, which led to the death of at least nine persons.
It was also gathered that many of the mourners sustained various degrees of injuries.
When contacted, the chairman of Kastina-Ala LGA, Alfred Atera, who confirmed the killing in a telephone interview with our correspondent, said that nine persons were killed during the attack.
He said, “Mourners who went for a wake-keep and burial of their relation were attacked in the wee hours of Saturday and nine of them were killed in the process while several others sustained various degrees of injuries.”
Atera further informed that four out of the nine persons that were killed are from Katsina-Ala while the other five are from different places who came for the burial including an in-law of the deceased.
He also informed that a Kindred Head, Zaki Isaac Vaatyough Gande, was among those who were killed while the three injured persons with various gun bullets were taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.
Credit: Leadership