The police command in Benue State has said terrorists on Friday attacked cashew farmers in Asaba, Ojantele, and Okpette communities in the Apa Local Government Area (LGA) of the state and killed six people.

The command’s spokesperson, DSP Edet Udeme, confirmed the killings on Saturday in a statement to journalists in Makurdi.

Ms Udeme said the farmers were reportedly working on their farms when the assailants attacked them.

The police stated that joint security teams comprising operatives of the Nigeria Police Force, the military, and youths from the affected communities immediately mobilised into the forest to carry out search and rescue operations.

“At the end of the initial operation, six lifeless bodies were recovered; efforts are ongoing to ensure the safety of residents in the affected communities,” she added.

Ms Udeme said that the state Commissioner of Police, Ifeanyi Emenari, had assured the public that reinforcements had been sent to facilitate a more thorough and coordinated operation in the affected communities.

The spokesperson pointed out that the aim was to track down those responsible for the attack and prosecute them.

“In the meantime, patrols have been intensified across the affected communities and the entire state to prevent any further attacks and to reassure residents of the continued readiness of security operatives to always confront such attacks.

“Members of the public are urged to remain calm and continue to cooperate with security agencies by providing credible information that may assist ongoing operations,” she said.

 (NAN)