A tragedy recently occurred in Tse Agubor Gyaruwa, located in Tsambee-Mbesev Council Ward of Gwer-West Local Government Area, Benue State, as a fire swept through the community, leading to the unfortunate demise of an 80-year-old woman.

It was gathered that over 50 houses and properties worth millions of naira were destroyed in the devastating incident.

The village head of the community, Chief Ayatse Agubor, told reporters on Friday that the fire broke out around 10 am while residents of the community were in the farm.

He said despite their efforts to prevent the fire from affecting their farm products, they soon realised that the entire village was engulfed in flames.

Agubor warned youths in the area to refrain from unauthorised bush burning, stressing that there would be consequences for those caught engaging in such activities.

Hajia Kongo, a resident who suffered significant losses, lamented the destruction caused by the inferno.

She claimed to have lost over 10 bags of maize, soya beans and more than 100,000 hidden in her bags of burnt corn.

Reacting to the incident, Mr Henry Agba, the caretaker chairman of Gwer-West LGA, declared that illicit bush burning would no longer be tolerated in the area.

Agba said the council would dispatch a team to assess the extent of the destruction caused by the inferno and report to the Benue State Emergency Management Agency, BSEMA, to facilitate assistance for the affected residents.