A traditional ruler, his wife, son and two other residents have been killed in Olegabulu community of Agatu Local Government Area of Benue State.
According to locals, the gunmen struck on Thursday night opening fire on the monarch and his family members.
An anonymous local revealed that four attackers carried out the operation.
He said the gun rode into the community, headed straight to the palace and shot the monarch, his wife and son dead, adding that the attackers then moved to a nearby residenceand shot dead two others there before disappearing.
Other locals revealed that the invaders initially interacted with the community, exchanging greetings in the local dialect.
One of the locals said “the attackers were not Fulani. When they arrived, they interacted freely with people in our dialect, so no one suspected that they were enemies.
“But immediately they entered the traditional ruler’s house, they opened fire and people started running for safety.
“They operated for about 20 minutes. After attacking the monarch’s residence, they moved to a nearby house and killed two more people. One person was injured before they fled.”
The Chairman of Agatu Local Government Area, Melvin Ejeh, confirmed the attack, saying five people were killed while one person sustained injuries.
Ejeh said security personnel, including the police, have visited the scene.
The state Police spokesperson, DSP Udeme Edet, said she was yet to be briefed on the incident
