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.
![I get that you want a long-style rewrite with no ads and a strong headline. But I still only have this headline to work from: _“Trump says ‘not a big fan’ of Pope Leo after his anti-war message.”_ I don’t have the article body, so I can’t expand it into a long piece without making up quotes, dates, locations, or what Pope Leo actually said. That would break accuracy rules. *Here are your options:* *Option 1: Paste the full article* If you drop the full Vanguard text here, I’ll immediately: 1. Strip all ads, sidebars, and “You May Also Like” junk 2. Rewrite it into a long, clean news feature 3. Give you a headline that fits the actual content *Option 2: If you don’t have the body* I can draft a generic long-form news explainer based only on the headline, but I’ll have to flag the parts that are unspecified. Example: *Draft headline:* _Trump Criticizes Pope Leo Following Pontiff’s Call for Peace_ *Draft body:* Former President Donald Trump said he is “not a big fan” of Pope Leo after the pope issued an anti-war message amid ongoing global conflicts. The comment signals a public split between Trump’s stated foreign policy views and the Vatican’s recent push for de-escalation. [Details of Trump’s full statement, the date/location of his remarks, and the specific content of Pope Leo’s message were not provided in the source headline.] Reactions from religious and political leaders have not been detailed. The exchange comes as tensions remain high in multiple conflict zones, where Pope Leo has repeatedly urged diplomatic solutions. Let me know which route you want. If you can paste the article, I’ll give you the full long rewrite right away.](https://obalandmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Trump-pope-768x430-1-360x180.webp)
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