ABUJA, June 22 (Xinhua) -- At least five timber dealers were early this week killed in an attack by unidentified gunmen in a forest in Nigeria's Benue State, according to a local government official on Wednesday.
Some 10 others had been missing since the attack in Udei, a village in the Guma local government area of Benue on Monday, said Caleb Aba, head official of the local government, while briefing reporters on the development.
Aba said the gunmen had laid an ambush on the timber dealers who were returning from a forest where they went to fetch timber, noting they were 15 in number.
"Five corpses have been recovered so far. The remaining 10 people have not been seen. We are not yet sure if they have been killed or taken away by the attackers," the local government official said.
Armed attacks have been a primary security threat in Nigeria's northern and central regions, leading to deaths and kidnappings in recent months. ■