Seven people have been killed and 14 others abducted in two separate attacks in Benue State, Nigeria. The first attack occurred in Entekpa community, Adoka, Otukpo Local Government Area, where five people were killed by suspected armed herdsmen. The attackers, who arrived with a large number of cattle, opened fire on residents, burning houses and leaving several villagers with gunshot wounds.
According to eyewitnesses, the attackers seemed to have carried out a well-planned assault, using the cattle as a decoy while they took strategic positions on trees. The Otukpo Local Government Chairman, Maxwell Ogiri, who visited the scene, described the attack as “shocking” and highlighted the vulnerability of the locals, who are largely defenseless.
In a separate incident, gunmen
ambushed a commercial bus along the Utonkon-Ojapo/Okpoga Road, killing two passengers and abducting 14 others. The bus was carrying 16 passengers from Oju and Obi Local Government Areas when it was intercepted by armed assailants.
The abductors initially took all 14 passengers into the forest but two of them managed to escape. The whereabouts of the remaining 12 abducted passengers remain unknown. Security forces, including the military, have been mobilized to contain the situation and rescue the abducted passengers.
These attacks come barely 24 hours after nine worshippers were abducted from St. John’s Catholic Church, Ojije, in Utonkon, during a night vigil. The Benue State government has promised relief materials for the displaced, while police are sending additional troops to restore security.
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