At least five people, including a former councillor and 2019 Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) House of Assembly candidate for Otukpo-Akpa State Constituency, Igbabe Ochi, have been killed in an attack on a community in Benue State.
The victims include Achibi Onah, Eje Eba, Sunday Iruja, Igbabe Ochi, and an as-yet unidentified individual.
The attack occurred around 1:30 a.m., reportedly after local volunteer guards and youths temporarily withdrew from their patrol duties near the railway crossing toward the Ijami axis.
According to sources, the armed assailants, suspected to be herders, entered via the railway station bridge, shooting one victim near the water board before proceeding to a transformer junction where Ochi and four others were seated.
The gunmen opened indiscriminate fire on the group and later looted nearby shops for foodstuffs and other valuables before fleeing into a nearby forest as residents raised the alarm.
Confirming the incident, the Benue State Civil Protection Guards said armed men, suspected to be herders and kidnappers, attacked the community while allegedly searching for food.
“The suspected kidnappers opened fire on residents, killing four people on the spot before looting the shop,” the agency said, adding that security operatives had been deployed and patrols intensified.
Reacting to the attack, the President of the Otobi Community Development Association, John Anyebe, lamented the recurring violence in the area.
Also, the lawmaker representing Otukpo-Akpa State Constituency, Kennedy Angbo, condemned the killings and urged security agencies to strengthen intelligence gathering and operations to flush out criminal elements from surrounding forests.
