18 killed as gunmen attack Benue communities

Gunmen have killed no fewer than 18 people in coordinated attacks on farming communities in Otukpo Local Government Area of Benue State.

According to Zagazola Makama, a counter-insurgency publication focused on the Lake Chad region, the attacks occurred between Friday and the early hours of Sunday, targeting Akpachi village in Ugboju community and Otukpo-Nobi community.

The publication reported that several residents were injured, while many fled their homes to escape the violence.

Sources cited by Makama said the attacks began on Friday when armed men invaded farmlands at Akpachi village.

“According to the sources, the assailants killed two of the farmers, while the third victim managed to escape and alerted members of the community,” Makama said.

“Search teams later recovered the bodies on Saturday, and the victims were buried shortly afterwards.

“However, before residents could recover from the tragedy, the attackers returned in the early hours of Sunday, launching another deadly assault on Otukpo-Nobi community at about 4:00 a.m.

“The gunmen reportedly opened fire indiscriminately on sleeping residents, killing at least 16 people on the spot while leaving several others with gunshot injuries.”

Makama noted that the actual casualty figure could be higher, as local volunteers and security personnel continued search operations in surrounding bushes for missing persons.

He added that the attacks have plunged communities across Otukpo into mourning, with many residents abandoning their homes amid fears of further violence.

The publication further reported that the attacks came barely two weeks after the killing of Ardo Risku Mohammed, Benue State chairman of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), and Yakubu Isah, his associate.

The two men were ambushed and killed at Okutu community while returning from a peace meeting in Idekpa, Ohimini Local Government Area.

Makama said authorities are investigating whether the latest attacks were carried out in retaliation for the earlier killing of the MACBAN chairman.

The violence also sparked protests across Otukpo on Sunday, as hundreds of youths took to the streets, carrying the bodies of some of the victims to the palace of the Och’Idoma during a church service to demand urgent government intervention.

Witnesses told the publication that protesters accused the government and security agencies of failing to protect farming communities from repeated attacks.

“The protest quickly spread across Otukpo town, with major roads barricaded by demonstrators, causing severe traffic disruption and leaving commuters stranded for several hours,” Makama reported.

“Residents described the atmosphere as tense, with businesses temporarily shutting down while security operatives monitored the situation to prevent further escalation.

“One of the protesters, Ebi Adoyi, lamented that many families had been devastated by the attacks and warned that the casualty figure could rise as more bodies might still be discovered in nearby forests.”

Maxwell Ogiri, chairman of Otukpo Local Government Area, confirmed the attacks and said preliminary findings suggested they might be linked to reprisals following the killing of the MACBAN chairman.

“The bandits came and killed two farmers on Friday. One escaped and alerted the community. We recovered the bodies on Saturday and buried them,” he said.

“After searching the surrounding bushes, we believed they had left the area, but around 4 a.m. on Sunday, we received distress calls that they had invaded Otukpo-Nobi, killing several people and injuring many others.”