Recent Attacks and Abductions in Benue State – Attack in Agatu LGA (Date not specified): Gunmen attacked Ogwum Ogbo, Ik pele, and Ejima villages, leaving at least eight people dead and several missing.
Troops dislodged the gunmen after a three-hour gunfight, but two soldiers and a law enforcement agent died in the battle. Residents have fled the villages into the bush, and locals have called for permanent troop deployment in the area.
The death toll in the area over the past few weeks has reached 38, with property valued at N100 million destroyed in previous attacks.
– Attack in Gwer West LGA (Thursday night, date not specified): Suspected armed herders attacked Agbo Vengav Udam community, killing seven people on the spot and abducting three others, including an infant’s mother.
Five bodies have been deposited in a morgue in Naka, while the remaining two were buried by their families. Two people are critically injured and receiving treatment.
This incident follows the hijacking of commercial vehicles and abduction of 14 passengers in the same area earlier that day.
– Attack in Logo LGA (Sunday night, date not specified): Gunmen attacked a church in A kenawe, Tswarev, during an all-night vigil, killing one person and abducting three, including the resident pastor. Five others were injured, and two are receiving treatment in hospitals in Ugba and Anyiim.
The chairman of Logo LGA confirmed the incident, stating that the attackers were Fulani herdsmen. Benue State has been grappling with persistent insecurity, with frequent attacks by suspected herdsmen and other criminal gangs leading to loss of lives, displacement, and destruction of property.
The state government and security agencies have been called upon to take decisive action to address the situation.
