107 Yelwata victims still hospitalised — Benue govt

Benue State Government, on Tuesday, said 107 Yelwata victims were still receiving treatment at the Benue State Teaching Hospital, Makurdi.

The Permanent Secretary, Benue Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, James Iorpuu, disclosed this at a news briefing in Makurdi.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that suspected bandits attacked and killed over 100 people in Yelwata Community on June 13.

Mr Iorpuu, who is also the Executive Secretary, Benue State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), said that the state had witnessed sustained, coordinated fatal attacks since 2011 by bandits.

He prayed that what happened at Yelwata which, he said, “had not happened anywhere in the world, should never happen again to any community”.

He commended his counterparts in Nasarawa and Plateau for coming to pay their condolences to the agency and state over the gruesome incident.

Earlier, the Executive Secretary, Plateau SEMA, Mr Sunday Abdu, and Director-General, Nasarawa SEMA, Ben Akwash, said they were in Benue on a solidarity visit.

Mr Abdu said that they came to express their condolences to Benue SEMA and the people of the state over the Yelwata attack.

He assured the people that no matter the amount of aggression, Benue and the country would continue to soar higher.

He said that they were also in the state to understudy the agency’s operations to be able to develop their own.

He urged the people to continue to pray for North Central to overcome the incessant attacks on innocent citizens of the country.

Also, Mr Akwash, while sympathising with Benue people over the attack, said that Benue, Nasarawa and Plateau were one entity before their separation through state creation.

He also said that they came to understudy the operations of Benue SEMA, so that they could make some adjustments and improvement in their state.

NAN

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