26 herdsmen victims to be buried today

The 26 people who were killed by suspected herdsmen in an attack that happened in Omusu Edimoga, a village in Okpokwu Local Government Area of Benue State last week will finally be buried on Thursday, March 15, 2018.

The herdsmen had attacked the community between 2 pm and 3 pm on March 5, after accusing the youths in the community of attacking them and stealing their cows.

In a statement signed by the Chairman of Okpokwu LGA, Francis Ogwuche, on Wednesday, March 14, a requiem mass would be held for the victims at the Saint Bernard Catholic Church, Ugwu Okpoga.

He said, "Thereafter the corpses will be released to the various families for burial in their respective communities especially those of the married women according to customs and traditions of the people."

He assured the bereaved families of the victims that perpetrators of the attack will be brought to justice by the government.

The victims were scheduled to get a mass burial organised by the state government last week, but it was cancelled by state governor, Samuel Ortom, for unexplained reasons.

The bodies of 73 men, women and children were buried at a mass burial ceremony organised by the state government on January 11 after several attacks by cattle herders.