Nigeria: Fulani murder 70 Christians in Benue state, officials call for citizens to be given guns

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent

(Worthy News) – As Fulani militant herdsmen murdered 70 more Christians in Nigeria’s Benue state this month, local authorities called on the federal government to supply Volunteer Guards with AK-47s to protect citizens as official security agencies have been unable to stem the ongoing slaughter of believers by Islamic terrorists, Morning Star News reports.

On October 18, Fulani herdsmen attacked Gbeji village in Ukum County, Benue state and engaged in a two-day killing spree. “In just two days, over 70 Christians were killed by Fulani militiamen in the Gbeji community in our local government area,” Terumbur Kartyo, chairman of the Ukum Local Government Council, told MSN.

Ukum area resident Bede Bartholomew told MSN that 56 Christians were killed in Gbeji town. “About 36 corpses of some of the victims have so far been recovered and taken to the mortuary,” he said. Another area resident, Terrence Kuanum, told MSN: “Fulani herdsmen have been wreaking havoc in many parts of the state.”

Benue state government officials visited the area after the attacks and determined that citizens must be able to defend themselves in light of the federal government’s apparent inability to do so.“We are standing on our request for the federal government to give us a license for our Volunteer Guards to bear AK-47s and other sophisticated weapons,” Secretary to the State Government Anthony Ijohor, representing Benue Gov. Samuel Ortom, said in a statement.

“The security agencies have been overstretched, and that being the case, our people have to defend themselves,” Ijohor said.

Nigeria ranked number one in the world last year for the number of Christians murdered (4,650) by Islamic terrorists.

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