Suspected herdsmen have again unleashed terror in Benue State, attacking three communities in Otukpo Local Government Area (LGA) on Wednesday, just a day after 11 people were killed in a deadly raid on Otobi community.
The latest victims of the escalating violence are Emichi, Odudaje, and Okpamaju, communities that had previously suffered an attack in February, which left five people dead.
However, the renewed attack has created fear and mass displacement among residents, with women and children fleeing to safety.
Channels TV reports that local sources say the death toll from the fresh attack remains unclear, but several casualties are feared.
The coordinated strike occurred even as Benue State Governor Hyacinth Alia confirmed the arrest of three suspected herders connected to the earlier attack on Otobi village.
Confirming the incident, Otukpo LGA Chairman, Maxwell Ogiri, said that the gunmen struck while high-level security officials, including the Commissioner of Police, were still at the Ochidoma Palace discussing Tuesday’s killings in Otobi.
“It’s deeply troubling. These communities were attacked while top security brass were still deliberating on the previous day’s massacre,” Ogiri said.
“Only young men were in the communities when the attackers arrived. The prompt response from combined security operatives made the attackers flee and none of them were arrested.”
He added that three people sustained injuries during the assault, and that the wave of attacks has led to widespread fear and displacement.
“Women and children have left their homes. People are scared to stay,” he lamented.
Wednesday’s assault comes amid rising concern over the persistent attacks attributed to suspected herders in Benue, a state already known as a flashpoint in the long-running conflict between farmers and nomadic cattle herders.
The state government has repeatedly called for federal intervention to stem the tide of killings.
