Over 43 persons have reportedly lost their lives following a boat mishap in river Benue, linking Taraba and Adamawa states, at Dampar village in Ibi local government area of Taraba State.
The incident which occurred at about 9 pm on Tuesday night was reported to have been caused by an attack by unknown gunmen numbering over 70, who invaded the village from the neighboring Plateau State and started shooting sporadically, and burning of houses of the villagers.
In a chat with LEADERSHIP, an eye witness narrated that the sudden attack on the village by the gunmen prompted villagers to run for their safety. It was gathered that some of the villagers rushed to the river side to board a boat with the aim of crossing to safety in the village nearby.
LEADERSHIP learnt that the boat capsized in the middle of the journey which resulted to the death of all the occupants.
Contacted on the incident, the police public relation spokesman in the State, ASP. Joseph Kwaji , confirmed the attack, but said that the police was yet to confirm the casualties.
At the time of filing this report, corpses of victims have been deposited at nearby health centers in the local government.
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