Gunmen suspected to be bandits invaded Mbacher community in Mbacher Council Ward, Katsina-Ala Local Government Area of Benue State on Friday night, Despite a curfew enforced by Governor Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m.,

The gunmen stormed the town on Friday night at around 11 p.m., gathering the inhabitants and posing as speakers before starting to fire.

According to a resident, the bandits moved from house to house, forcing people to follow them before carrying out the deadly attack.

The Chairman of Katsina-Ala LGA, Justine Shaku, confirmed the incident on Saturday, stating that the bandits had completed their operation before the military arrived at the village.

Shaku said, “We received a distress call from the villagers around 11 pm yesterday (Friday) that a group of terrorists had mobilized themselves and were moving from house to house, forcing people to follow them. Unfortunately, the bandits had already carried out their attack and left before the military arrived.

“I quickly mobilise the military officers that are in Tor Doonga and been a remote area before they could reach there the people have been killed.

“Yesterday night, I was told it was 17 but today 18 bodies have been confirmed dead. All of them were assembled in one place and killed.

“This morning, I, the assembly member and adviser on legislative matters held a meeting and we communicated the development to the Commissioner of Police.

“The council chairman who described the activities of bandits in the area as a ‘gorilla type of war’ said that the gunmen were ‘local terrorists.

“I no longer call them bandits because I’m seeing hands/ elements of terrorism in their activities. So to me, I classify them as terrorists now.

But they are terrorists within though they have external forces, those who are sponsoring and helping them to perpetrate the acts. The locals are the major people that are doing it,” the chairman said.

Efforts to get Benue State Command spokesperson, Catherine Anene to confirm the incident were not successful as her phone rang out.

Meanwhile, the Security Adviser to the governor confirmed the incident.