Three killed, commuters abducted as ‘herdsmen’ attack Benue communities, Police checkpoint
By Peter Duru
Three persons were reportedly killed, several others sustained injuries while some were abducted following separate attacks by suspected armed herdsmen in Otukpo Local Government Area, LGA, of Benue State.
The attacks, which occurred Friday evening, targeted Akpamaju community and a police checkpoint at Ojano along the Otukpo-Enugu Road, throwing residents into panic.
A local source said the first attack took place at Akpamaju community where two men working on a farm were killed by the attackers.
According to the source, one of the victims had travelled from Gboko to operate a tractor hired for farming activities in the community.
“It was two different incidents. The first one happened at Akpamaju community in Otukpo Local Government Area on Friday evening,” the source said.
“The victims, two males, were on the farm. One of them came from Gboko to work for the man who hired him, and both of them were killed. The attackers were armed herdsmen. Luckily, one boy escaped from the farm. The survivor was with us when we deposited the recovered bodies at the mortuary.”
The source identified the deceased as Friday Omoha from Ogbadibo LGA and Francis Liambee from Guma LGA who reportedly operated the tractor.
The bodies were later deposited at the University of Health Sciences Teaching Hospital mortuary in Otukpo.
Barely an hour after the Akpamaju incident, another attack was reported at Ojano along the Enugu Road where suspected herdsmen allegedly ambushed a police checkpoint.
According to eyewitness accounts, the attackers emerged from the bush and opened fire on the checkpoint, killing a young man who usually assisted police officers in moving the barricade used for vehicle checks.
“The young man was shot dead instantly while the policemen on duty fled for their lives,” the source said.
The attackers also reportedly opened fire on a commercial bus belonging to a Mass Transit company marked TMT, injuring some passengers and abducting some others but we do not readily have the figure of those they took away.
“Luckily, some of the passengers escaped and ran back towards Otukpo, while those injured were taken to the hospital,” the source added.
The damaged vehicle was later moved to the Otukpo Police Station while the corpse of the deceased was deposited at the mortuary.
Confirming the incidents, Chairman of Otukpo Local Government Area, Maxwell Ogiri, said according to the security report he received on the incident, security operatives responded swiftly after receiving distress calls from the affected communities.
The report read, “Yesterday evening at about 5pm, we received a distress call from Ukpamaju village in Otukpo about a herdsmen attack
“We rushed to the already deserted village with the police and trailed the attackers to a farm where we discovered that two men who were tilling the land with a tractor had been killed.
“One of the survivors told us the attackers were about 15 in number and were armed with AK-47 rifles.”
Ogiri further disclosed that while officials were returning from the mortuary around 10pm, another distress call was received concerning an attack on the Ojano axis of the Enugu Road.
“While we were eating after leaving the mortuary, another distress call came from Ojano that the highway had been blocked by attackers.
“We mobilised with Operation Whirl Stroke personnel to the scene and engaged the attackers in a gun duel. They attacked a TMT mass transit vehicle and some other vehicles.
“We rescued three passengers and took them to the hospital, but unfortunately one of them died.”
The council chairman said preliminary findings suggested that the same group of about 15 armed men might have carried out both attacks.
Efforts to reach the Benue State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Udeme Edet, were unsuccessful as of press time.
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المصدر: Vanguard (NG)