Gunmen suspected to be herdsmen have reportedly murdered six persons at Iware Market in Ardo-Kola Local Government Area of Taraba State.
The yet-to-be identified victims were reportedly killed because they allegedly brought stolen cows to the market.
Spokesman of the Taraba State Police Command, Mr. David Misal, an Assistant Superintendent of Police, ASP, confirmed the tragic incident to journalists in Jalingo, the state capital, on Tuesday.
He said: “Information available to us indicates that the attackers killed the yet-to-be identified people because the cows they brought to the market were their cows, stolen during the crisis in Lau.
“We are yet to get the identity of those that were killed and I cannot confirm whether they are from Lau or not. We are still gathering intelligence on the attack to find out the perpetrators who took the law into their hands, instead of reporting to us, if really a case of cattle rustling was established.”
However, some residents confirmed that five of the deceased, who were cattle rearers, hailed from Mayo-Lope in Lau Local Government Area, where all hell was let loose only last week.
The attackers, according to the sources, said the gunmen reportedly trailed the victims from Mayo-Lope to the market in Iware and murdered them there in broad daylight.
The tragedy caused pandemonium in the market as people reportedly fled in different directions looking for safety.
The corpses of the deceased were deposited in the morgue at the Federal Medical Centre, Jalingo, pending autopsy and, perhaps, conclusion of police investigation. .