12 killed in robbery operation in Benue

TWELVE persons, including two  suspected robbers, an eight-month-old baby and  a suspected lady robber, were on Wednesday,  killed  during confrontation between villagers and suspected armed robbers.

Five suspected robbers were said to have invaded  Senge village in Katsina Ala Local Government Area of Benue State, last Wednesday, and were said to have been ambushed by the villagers at Senge.

The five-man robbery suspects was said to have retreated to a nearby village, Kenvenge, where they attacked the villagers and killed 10 persons, while the youth in the village were said to have killed two of the robbers. One of them was a lady while the other three escaped.

Confirming this in a press statement, Benue State police spokesman, ASP Moses Yamu, said  the five-man gang, last Wednesday,  went to rob at Senga village, an interior part of Katsina Ala Local Government Area, where an irate mob lynched two of the robbers.

One of the suspects,  identified as “Chemical” and a lady harboring them were  killed, while the other three suspects  escaped to Gbise village and mobilised for reprisal.

He said the robbers,  on return,  could not gain access to Senga village because youths of the village had mobilised to protect their area, but were held at a village next to Senge, which  was called Kenvenger village. It was gathered that the robbers  shot and killed 10 persons on the spot.

Among those killed by the suspected robbers, according to the police spokesman,  were one Terseer Akaya, a driver from Katsina-Ala who went to convey farm produce; a  woman with two of her children;  an eight-month  old baby and an eight-year-old child.

Yamu said  five other persons, who were injured, were rushed to the hospital and were currently receiving medical attention at NKST hospital at Kera, Katsina-Ala Local Government Area of the state.

He said police operatives had been deployed to patrol the area to prevent further breach of peace.