43 cows stolen as bandits attack Benue varsity ranch

 Uja Emmanuel, Makurdi 

BANDITS have attacked a ranch in the Federal  University of Agriculture, Makurdu, Benue State, stealing 43 cows.

The gunmen breached the institution’s security as they raided the ranch near the vice-chancellor’s lodge.

The development unsettled the university community.

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Vice-Chancellor Professor Richard Kimbir told The Nation that the herdsmen came  about 11pm on Tuesday, tore through the barricade and made away with 43 cows, but the university security responded immediately and gave them a hot chase.

The attackers abandoned the cows and fled  into  the bush, Prof Kimbir said. The vice chancellor expressed concern that the University has recently come under heavy attack from  suspected herdsmen who have  destroyed  the intitution’s over 10,000  hectares of farm.

Professor Kimbir said security on the campus has been tightened, adding  that  the state governor and security agencies have been briefed on the incident.