Benue Attacks Claim 14 Lives, Including Mobile Police Officer

Tragically, 14 individuals, including a member of the Mobile Police Force, have reportedly been killed in separate attacks carried out by armed assailants in the Apa and Otukpo local government areas of Benue State.

According to local sources who spoke with our correspondent by phone on Monday, 10 people lost their lives in Edikwu-Ankpali on Sunday night. An additional three fatalities occurred on Friday in Ikobi, within the Apa Local Government Area.

The mobile police officer, it was reported, was killed during a separate assault on Saturday in Upu village, located in the Entekpa ward of Otukpo LGA.

Residents described the killings as a frequent occurrence in the affected regions, emphasizing that many villagers have abandoned their homes in the wake of the latest incidents.

As of Monday afternoon, youths were still actively searching nearby bush areas for additional bodies believed to be missing during the assaults.

The Chairman of Apa LGA, Adam Ochega, stated that nine people were killed in Edikwu-Ankpali. He further reported one death each in Ikobi and Adija communities, noting that several other individuals sustained injuries during the attacks.

"Nine people were killed, and many were injured at Edikwu – Ànkpali, while one was killed at Ikobi and another was killed at Adija," the LG chairman informed journalists in Makurdi via a WhatsApp message.

Earlier, in a statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Ogili Ogili, the chairman expressed deep concern over the continuous attacks on Ikobi, Adija, and Edikwu-Ankpali, highlighting the grief and trauma these events have inflicted upon the residents.

He issued an urgent appeal to both the federal and state governments to deploy additional security personnel to the affected areas, implement proactive security measures to address the escalating crisis, and provide necessary compensation and support to the families of those who have perished.

Ochega underscored the necessity for the government to move beyond mere condemnation of the attacks and take concrete actions to prevent further loss of life, as the community continues to demand justice and protection.

Concurrently, the Chairman of Otukpo LGA, Maxwell Ogiri, confirmed the death of the mobile police officer in Upu community on Saturday.

In a telephone conversation, Ogiri conveyed that the fallen officer was part of the security team dispatched to the area following previous attacks.

"It is regrettable that we lost him during the attack on Upu, which security operatives successfully repelled. However, the security presence in the area has been reinforced with the deployment of additional police and military personnel," the chairman stated.

Attempts to reach the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) for the Benue command, DSP Udeme Edet, for comment were unsuccessful as of the time of this report, as her telephone calls and messages remained unanswered.