Police officer, 8 others killed in renewed attack on Benue communities by herders

Nine people, including a police officer, were killed in a renewed attack by suspected armed herdsmen on communities in Agatu Local Government Area of Benue State. The attack, which started on Friday, affected several communities, including Okwutanobe, Okpokpolo, Olegagbani, and Ikpele. The attackers, allegedly from neighboring Kogi State, killed four people in the first three communities and five, including a police officer, in Ikpele.

The Agatu Local Government Chairman, James Melvin, confirmed the deaths, lamenting that the renewed attack might be a reprisal for alleged cattle rustling by criminals. The state Police Public Relations Officer, Udeme Edet, assured that there was deployment to the area, although he hadn’t received information on the development.

This incident comes amid tension between Igede-speaking people of Oju and Obi Local Government Areas and their neighboring Tiv communities in Gwer East and Konshisha Local Government Areas. Two middle-aged men, Jonathan Ogah and Gabriel Ogodo, from Oju LGA, were recently killed by suspected Tiv youths at Ulam community in Gwer East council.

Governor Hyacinth Alia condemned the killings, issuing a 48-hour ultimatum to security agencies to apprehend the perpetrators. Senator Abba Moro, representing Benue South senatorial district, also condemned the killing, describing it as barbaric and dastardly. The Ito Youths Association, a body of Igede-speaking youths, lamented the fragile peace in their communities, calling for urgent investigation and justice ¹ ².