Boat Mishap in Tiv Land Claims 47 Persons

       

Christmas gone awry was witnessed in Buruku local government area of Benue state. How did that happen that at least 47 persons were feared dead in two separate incidents in Benue in what appeared to be a bloody yuletide?

The first was a boat mishap on River Buruku, in Buruku local government area and second  a clash between Fulani herdsmen and native Tiv farmers at Agasha.

It was gathered that seven persons lost their lives at Agasha, Guma local government area of the state in a fresh skirmish between the natives and Fulani herdsmen.

A  source said that the crisis which erupted few days to Christmas spilled into yesterday, leaving seven persons dead while property and farmland worth millions of Naira were also destroyed.

”The crisis started just few days to Christmas when the herdsmen invaded Nzorov and Gbajimba and from there they moved to Agasha, burning and destroying anything in sight.”

”About seven person may have so far been killed in the fighting,  we are yet to account for some missing persons, but in the next few days, we should be able to come out with an authentic figure of the dead.” the source added.

It was all wailing and crying in Buruku, after about 40 persons were feared dead in a Boxing Day boat tragedy at River Buruku when the wooden boat conveying them across the river capsized at the middle of the river.

The victims of the mishap were young fun seekers; “They met their untimely death while returning from a picnic on the other side of the river.

”When they arrived the boarding point at about 8pm yesterday,  most of them were drunk, they boarded the canoe and jam packed themselves in the wooden boat against the advise of everyone including the driver that conveyed them.

”Unfortunately, the canoe could not make it to the other side of the river, it capsized at the middle of the river; as I speak to you, bodies of most of the victims are yet to be recovered from the river. When contacted, the Benue State Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Deputy Superintendent, DSP, Daniel Ezeala confirmed the death of seven persons in the Guma crisis but pointed out that he was yet to get the full details of the Buruku boat mishap.

Original Source:Vanguard website