Suspected cultists kill bus driver in Benue

Gunmen suspected to be cultists have reportedly gunned down a driver around the popular Lafia garage T-junction in North Bank area of Makurdi metropolis in Benue State.

Witnesses, who attributed the incident to suspected cultists, said it happened around 12noon on Thursday while the area boomed with commercial activities.

A street vendor in the area, who preferred anonymity, described the incident as “horribly terrifying” because the perpetrators, in her estimation, were too daring to snuff life out of another human in broad day light.  

“It happened just before I arrived on the scene. The things happening here (North Bank) are terrible. People are living in fear in this vicinity because the bad boys are becoming too daring. Imagine how populated this junction can be during the day and for them to carry out such act without interference,” the hawker said.

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The commander of a local vigilante group known as Operation Shara (Sweep) in North Bank, Nura Umar, told our correspondent on phone that the driver was shot close to the Lafia Garage at North Bank.

“Yes, a driver was shot this afternoon in front of First Bank in North Bank by suspected cultists. The incidents of cult rivalry are becoming too many in recent times, especially as we have not been working for some time now.

“These incidents are continuing because we have not gotten support from certain members of the community to clamp down on the activities. Since the past five months that we have not been working, the incidences are been getting out of control. It feels like some people are benefitting from the crisis and do not want it to stop,” he said.

Umar added that there were unresolved issues between his vigilant group and some highly placed people in the community which forced their work to stop, and stressed the need for quick resolution to enable them to resume work with the police to rid the environment of criminalities.

When contacted, the Police spokeswoman for Benue command, SP Catherine Anene, confirmed the incident.

“Incident confirmed. Investigation is ongoing,” Anene said.