Over 27 persons are said to have been killed in two days in the Benue State settlements of Tse-Akosu, Chito, and Tse-Anule by gunmen and alleged cult members. This occurred in the Ukum Local Government Area.

It was reported that the gang groups carried out the deadly acts on Saturday and Sunday, 4 and 5 November 2023, 

According to reports, some cult guys rode into Tse-Anule on motorbikes, killed individuals, and then set up roadblocks along Sankara and Ayati roads, robbing unwary drivers for several hours without anyone challenging them.

According to local sources, an armed group entered the drinking joint with a variety of high-tech weapons and ammunition, telling the villagers to lie down.

He claims that as soon as the victims were facedown, they opened fire on them and instantly murdered five people.

Recall that a rival gang brawl and attack on a drinking area resulted in at least 22 more deaths in the Chito and Tyo Akosu communities of the same Ukum Local Government Area of the state, raising the total number of casualties to 27.

Approximately fifteen able men were reportedly slained, and numerous had varying degrees of gun-related injuries in the conflict, which was allegedly between the infamous criminal organizations known as “Chain Gang” and “Full Fire.”

According to one of the sources, unidentified armed men attacked a tavern in the area and opened fire on unknown customers, committing the killings at Tyo Akosu community.

The incident at Tyo Akosu, he added, was suspected by the people to be a continuation of the Chito conflict, though he was unable to confirm this. The war for supremacy was quickly spreading throughout the LGA’s settlements.

It began on Friday, 3 November 2023, in the afternoon during a struggle for dominance between the crime kingpins in Ukum LGA, according to another source. With their operational base situated in the LGA, they go by the names Chain and Full Fire gangs.

They’re both trying to find the other person’s neck. After learning of the plot, the Chain gang set up an ambush for Full Fire, so the latter hired the services of another banditry group to assist in eliminating them.

“They shot them all dead as they started the fire. Some reported a tally of fifteen bodies, while others stated that just ten people had died in the violent altercation.”

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But rather than a social crisis, it was a gang war for domination within the group. The natives fled for their lives out of dread. Even though they were innocent, they feared the retaliation would impact them.

We all live in constant terror since we can’t identify who is who among our local boys, he added, adding that “Ukum has turned into a hotbed of killings.”

SP Catherine Anene, the Benue State Command Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), responded that she had not yet received any information regarding the occurrences when called.

Legislator for Ukum State Constituency in the House of Assembly, Hon. Ezra Nyiyongo, acknowledged the killings and stated that the government was investigating the issue to take appropriate action.