BENUE CULT CLASH: LG chairman imposes dusk-to-dawn curfew as clashes claims lives in Naka
By Peter Duru, Makurdi
The caretaker chairman of Gwer West Local Government Area, LGA, of Benue State, Henry Agba, has imposed a dusk-to-dawn curfew on the LGA following the bloody clashes of rival cult gangs that have claimed two lives in the area.
It was gathered that the rival gangs have in the last few days engaged in supremacy fight in Naka, the local government headquarters, leading to the deaths and injuries of several others.
The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the crisis, which started as a minor disagreement between two young men, escalated into a full-blown cult war.
According to him, “In the last three days, the situation became tense, gang members engaged in bloody street fights, killing two persons and injuring several others.
“They also resorted to moving from house to house in search of members of rival gangs to attack them, despite the intervention of the police in Naka town.
“The development created tension in the town as people, particularly business owners, started feeling very unsafe, and some even locked up their shops for fear of being attacked.”
Meanwhile, the chairman of the LGA said he was left with no other option but to impose the curfew to check further escalation of the bloody fight.
Justifying the decision, the chairman said: “There was a clash between rival cultists in the Local Government during which two persons from both sides were killed.
“As a result of that, the LGA became tense, so we had to place a night curfew to contain the situation. As of yesterday (Wednesday), movement ceased from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m., so at the moment there is restoration of peace and normalcy.”
