No less than four people have been reported killed and houses burnt following a renewed sectarian war between rival groups in the North Bank area of ​​Makurdi, the Benue State capital.

A source said the victims were killed in different parts of the North Bank area during a violent clash between the Black Ax and Supreme Vikings brotherhoods on Sunday and Monday.

The sectarian clash caused pandemonium in and around the North Bank area as residents and traders closed their shops and fled for safety.

DAILY POST learned that fearing reprisals, many residents deserted the areas affected by the chaos.

Chairman of the North Bank area anti-cult group called Operations Shara, Alhaji Haruna Nuhu, who confirmed the incident, said the two rival cult gangs clashed at around 9 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday and chased each other until Monday.

According to him, this unfortunate incident led to the death of four cultists, specifying that their identity is not yet known at the moment.

“Yesterday, only one person was killed. Then, last week, they killed two people. In fact, one of the victims was seriously massacred and dismembered.

“So far, we have not seen the body of one of them, and the second person, we discovered today (Tuesday), that his head was pierced. Again, yesterday, the boys shot a person in the eye.

“So between last week and today (Tuesday), they killed four people,” Nuhu said.

Another resident of the area, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said there was a cult rampage on the North Bank on Sunday and Monday morning, which resulted in the death of four people and the burning of houses.

He lamented that the persistent sectarian clashes between rival groups in the state, particularly in the West Bank region, had become a source of worry that had affected the economic and social activities of the people.

“There was carnage yesterday in North Bank, and again this afternoon a house burned on Ter Guma Street in North Bank.

“I don’t know if the government wants everyone eliminated before doing anything positive. These boys have been killing people yesterday and today until now as I speak to you.

“It is now that they have decided to bury the young man who was killed on Sunday.

“There’s a lot going on in this area that the public needs to know about. This issue of cult boys at North Bank is causing a lot of problems because now, whether you are a member or not, anything can happen.

“As I speak to you, so many people have lost their lives during this period,” the source said.

Efforts to speak with Catherine Anene, Public Relations Officer of the Benue State Police Command, were unsuccessful.