MASS BURIAL OF 13 BENUE ATTACK VICTIMS POSTPONED OVER DELAY IN RELEASE OF BODIES

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By Aishat Momoh. O.

The planned mass burial of 13 persons killed during a recent attack by suspected armed herdsmen in Turan Community, Jato-Aka, Kwande Local Government Area of Benue State has been postponed.

The burial, earlier scheduled for Thursday, March 12, 2026, had been organised by bereaved families and the Concerned Sons and Daughters of Turan Community following the killing of 13 residents during the attack.

Preparations for the burial were already underway at Mbachom community as relatives and sympathisers gathered awaiting the arrival of the bodies from the mortuary.

However, the burial was called off after families were unable to retrieve the remains of the victims from the mortuary.

A relative of one of the victims, Bemgba Numve, said the delay occurred because the mortician responsible for releasing the bodies was unavailable.

“My brother was killed in the attack and we planned to bury all 13 of them today. Everybody is here for the burial and people also came from outside to witness it, but we could not retrieve the bodies of our loved ones from the mortuary,” he said.

According to him, when family members arrived at the mortuary, they were informed that the mortician had been taken away and no one was available to release the corpses.

“It is unfortunate that some people do not want us to carry out the burial, but they are our brothers and sisters and we have the right to bury them on our own terms,” Numve added.

He insisted that those responsible for the situation would not determine how the victims would be buried, noting that the families would fix another date for the burial.

Efforts to reach the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Udeme Edet, for comment were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report.