A middle-aged woman has been shot dead by gunmen at Yelewata community in the Guma Local Government Area in Benue State.

The incident, according to residents, happened around 5pm on Wednesday while the victim was returning from the farm.

A resident, who did not want to be identified, said, “We learnt that the woman, who went to fetch firewood from a nearby farm, was shot by gunmen suspected to be herdsmen.”

Confirming the report, the Chairman of Guma LGA, Caleb Aba, on Thursday, said the gunmen waylaid the woman in Yelewata community, adding that the victim died on the spot.

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He said, “The woman had gone to a nearby bush to fetch firewood. While returning home, some herders accosted her and shot her to death.”

Aba lamented that communities in the council had continued to experience attacks from suspected herders, adding that many people had been forced to relocate to Internally Displaced Persons’ camps.

Efforts to get the state police command spokesperson, Catherine Anene, a Superintendent of Police, were unsuccessful, as she did not take her calls which rang out.