SIX KILLED IN THREE DAYS AS SUSPECTED ARMED HERDERS ATTACK BENUE COMMUNITIES

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.