Governor Hyacinth Alia of Benue said 56 bodies had been recovered in Ugondo, Logo and Tyuluv, Gbagir, in Ukum LGAs following the coordinated attacks on the communities by suspected armed herdsmen.

Mr Alia disclosed this when he visited Logo and Ukum LGAs on Saturday for an on-the-spot assessment of the area after the attacks on Friday night.

Speaking to journalists after the inspection, the governor confirmed that so far, 56 corpses have been recovered in Logo and Ukum after the attacks.

The governor said there was the possibility of the figure increasing in Ukum because the search was still ongoing.

Mr Alia said urgent action must be taken to address the ugly development.

“In the early hours of today, we understood that more bodies were being picked up in Logo LGA, resulting in 27 corpses. So, we lost 27 lives in Logo LGA.

“And then many more were picked up on some axis in Ukum, and those for now are 29. Many more are surely expected because as we went there, they were asking for some protection to get back to see how they could retrieve some bodies. So, the numbers might even go up.

“So far, we are talking about 56 lives lost in just one night. This is quite devastating,” the governor said.

Mr Alia acknowledged the federal government’s support, saying the security agencies had been working “non-stop.”

“How can you explain that two months ago we came to this town and people were quite settled and overnight it is calculated, it is planned targeted attacks,” he said.

Mr Alia further commended the security agencies for their sacrifices to ensure Benue has peace, adding that there was every need for more reinforcements.

The governor sympathised with the families that lost their loved ones as a result of the attacks and promised to take care of the burial and medical bills of those in the hospital.

Also, the member, representing Katsina-Ala/Ukum/Logo, Solomon Wombo, said even though the military has been in the constituency for 12 years, there were still attacks and killings.

Mr Wombo lamented the insecurity situation and appealed to the FG to establish a military barrack in the area to protect his constituents from armed herdsmen and bandits.

The affected communities were deserted, with armed police personnel seen patrolling in the LGAs.

Those who fled the areas are now taking refuge in Zaki-Biam and Ugba IDP camps.

(NAN)