At least six people have been killed in a series of attacks by suspected armed herders in Otukpo Local Government Area of Benue State over the past three days.
The attacks, which occurred between Sunday and the early hours of Tuesday, also left several others injured, while a woman and a child were reportedly abducted.
Among the victims was a retired warrant officer who was killed in Asa 2 area of Otukpo. A former councillor and four other residents were also killed in Otobi-Akpa community within the same local government area.
Sources said two people were shot on Sunday along the Otobi–Akpam Road, while the retired warrant officer was attacked and killed in Asa 2, Otukpo. The suspected attackers were said to have fled the area after the shootings.
The killings escalated in the early hours of Tuesday, January 13, when gunmen invaded Otobi-Akpa community around 1:30 a.m., killing five people, including the former councillor.
Chairman of Otukpo Local Government Area, Maxwell Ogri, told journalists on Tuesday that the Sunday attack was carried out by bandits masquerading as herders.
The lawmaker representing Otukpo/Akpa constituency in the Benue State House of Assembly, Kennedy Angbo, confirmed the incidents and expressed concern over the persistent attacks on communities in the area.
Angbo recalled that on Sunday, suspected attackers opened fire on passengers aboard a Benue Links bus near Otukpo, leaving three people injured and hospitalised.
The Special Adviser to the Benue State Governor on Internal Security, Joseph Har, also confirmed the attack, stating that he received a report from the Commander of the Community Protection Guard in the area.
According to the report, suspected Fulani kidnappers believed to be in search of food for their captives attacked a provision shop in Otobi-Akpa community at about 1:30 a.m. The report further noted that four persons had been kidnapped recently and were yet to be released.
Victims of Tuesday’s attack were identified as Ochi Ugbabe, a former councillor and Peoples Democratic Party House of Assembly candidate in 2019; Achibi Onah; Eje Eba; and Sunday Iruja. The identities of other victims were yet to be confirmed.

The Oyo State Police Command has rescued a 60-year-old kidnap victim, Isiaku Saidu, in Iseyin, Iseyin Local Government Area, following a dramatic gun duel with armed suspects.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, Olayinka Ayanlade, said the operation was carried out under directives from the state Commissioner of Police, Femi Haruna, who ordered that no stone should be left unturned to ensure the security of lives and property across the state.
Accoding to Ayanlade, the command has recorded multiple operational successes, including the foiling of kidnapping attempts, the rescue of abducted victims, and the arrest of murder suspects, over the past week.
He explained that on January 11, 2026, about five armed hoodlums invaded Budo via Bassi Camp in Iseyin and abducted Isiaku Saidu and upon receipt of the information, the state Commissioner of Police directed that everything must be done to rescue the victim and apprehend those responsible.The Divisional Police Officer of Ago-Are, in collaboration with partner agencies, conducted aggressive patrols and bush-combing operations, which led to the discovery of the suspects’ hideout.
Upon sighting the combined team, the suspects opened fire, engaging the operatives in a gun duel. This confrontation resulted in the neutralisation of one suspect, while another was arrested and is currently cooperating with the ongoing investigation. The remaining suspects fled the scene with bullet wounds.
However, the police have urged members of the public to report anyone with bullet injuries to the nearest police station as they continue to pursue the remaining suspects.

The Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) have unveiled a renegotiated agreement aimed at resolving long-standing disputes in Nigeria’s tertiary education sector.
Speaking at the unveiling of the agreement in Abuja on Wednesday, Education Minister Dr. Tunji Alausa described the pact as a renewed trust, restored confidence, and a decisive turning point in the history of Nigeria’s tertiary education system.
Alausa credited President Bola Tinubu for personally driving the process, saying, “For the first time in the history of our country, a sitting President took full ownership of this long-standing challenge confronting our tertiary education system and accorded it the leadership attention it truly deserved.”
He explained that decades of unresolved remuneration issues and welfare gaps had led to recurring industrial actions, disrupting academic calendars and threatening students’ futures. The current administration, he said, chose dialogue over discord, reform over delay, and resolution over rhetoric.
The 2025 agreement follows a renegotiation process that began in 2017 to review the 2009 Federal Government–ASUU pact, which was due for revision in 2012. Previous committees under past administrations, chaired by Wale Babalakin, Munzali Jibrin, and Nimi Briggs, failed to produce a final agreement.
The federal government and ASUU hailed the agreement as a landmark achievement expected to ensure uninterrupted academic calendars, improved welfare for lecturers, and a stronger tertiary education system in Nigeria.

The Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) have signed a new agreement aimed at improving the quality and stability of Nigeria’s university education system.
The agreement, which replaces the 2009 pact that led to repeated industrial actions, was signed at the TETFund Conference Hall in Maitama, Abuja.
Dignitaries at the event included the Minister of Education, Doctor Maruf Alausa, and the Minister of State for Education, Professor Suwaiba Ahmad.
ASUU President, Professor Chris Piwuna, said the union remains hopeful that the Federal Government will honour the new agreement without the need for strike threats.