The Mourners were attacked and killed by armed men as they returned from a burial ceremony.

Three people returning from a burial in Sati-Ikov Council Ward of Ushongo Local Government Area of Benue State were reportedly killed by armed men on a fresh attack on Saturday night.

Residents of the area who spoke to journalists on Sunday said the assailants attacked the mourners near the community.

One of the locals, who pleaded not to be named for fear of reprisals from local militias, said,

“Three of them were killed, and two others, a male and a female, were kidnapped.”

CBI News reports that the lawmaker representing Ushongo Constituency in the Benue State House of Assembly, Simon Gabo, confirmed the incident decrying the activities of local militias in the area.

He stated that his community had been turned into a battlefield by local militias in the past two weeks, resulting in the deaths of several people.

He identified those killed as Bem Msughter from Mbakyombo, ; Aondo Chia from Mbamegh, Daa-Ikov; and Sunday Terwase of Mbakyor, Daav-Ikov.

He also said two other people returning from the burial—Aondongu Amos of Mbanyion, a POS operator at Sati-Ikov, and Mrs Arinze, an Igbo patent medicine trader at Sati-Ikov—were abducted.

Gabo, who is also the Deputy Majority Chief Whip of the State House of Assembly,said that three people were killed in the community two weeks ago.

"Apart from that, we have had one or two such incidents every other week.”He added

Gabo alleged that the armed men usually crossed the river from Katsina-Ala Local Government Area to Ushongo to launch attacks.

So they cross from there to our side, attack and return to their side. It is a mountainous area with large forests,” the deputy majority chief whip said.

He added that he had reported the incident to the police, stressing that the Divisional Police Officer had taken security personnel to the community on Sunday morning.