Residents flee as herdsmen take over Benue community

 Uja Emmanuel, Makurdi  

A resident of the area Aondoakaa Ugoh, who has also fled, told The Nation that the herdsmen were well armed with AK 47  rifles with large herds of cattle.

Ugoh said the cows grazing freely in the area and destroying farmlands and eating up harvested crops.

He said the activities of the herders may trigger food scarcity in the state, if not checked.

A police source told The Nation that there was nothing to worry about and that security men were on top of the situation.

But a community leader Dr. Denen Ende expressed concern over the influx of herdsmen, wondering  where they were coming from.

In 2016, assailants believed to be herders killed many persons in Agatu, a community in the state.

Open grazing has also been outlawed in the state.