No fewer than six persons have been killed in a series of attacks by suspected armed herders in Otukpo Local Government Area of Benue State within the last three days.
The attacks, which occurred between Sunday and the early hours of Tuesday, claimed the lives of a retired Warrant Officer, a former councillor and four other residents in different communities of the council area.
Findings revealed that the retired security officer was killed in Asa 2 area of Otukpo, while two other persons were shot along the Otobi–Akpam road on Sunday. The assailants were also said to have abducted a woman and a child during one of the attacks.
In a separate incident in the early hours of Tuesday, the gunmen reportedly stormed Otobi-Akpa community, killing five people, including a former councillor, and looting shops and food items.
Victims of the Tuesday attack were identified as Ochi Ugbabe, a former councillor and 2019 House of Assembly candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Achibi Onah, Eje Eba and Sunday Iruja, while one other victim was yet to be identified.
Chairman of Otukpo Local Government Area, Maxwell Ogri, described the attackers as bandits disguising as herders, alleging that they were responsible for a wave of killings and kidnappings in the area after the festive period.
A community leader, John Anyebe, said the attackers accessed the community through a railway bridge and opened fire on residents before fleeing into the forest when locals raised alarm.
Confirming the incident, the state Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Udeme Edet, said four people were killed in Otobi-Akpa, adding that investigations were ongoing and security operatives had been deployed to apprehend those responsible.