By Our Reporter
At least six people, including a retired warrant officer and a former councillor, have been killed in a series of attacks by suspected armed herders in Otukpo Local Government Area of Benue State.
The attacks occurred between Sunday and the early hours of Tuesday, affecting several communities within the LGA.
The retired warrant officer was reportedly killed in Asa 2, Otukpo, while the former councillor and four others were shot dead in Otobi-Akpa in a separate early-morning attack on Tuesday. Two other persons were earlier shot on the Otobi–Akpam Road on Sunday.
The assailants were also said to have abducted a woman and a child during one of the attacks.
Chairman of Otukpo Local Government Area, Maxwell Ogri, said the violence was carried out by bandits masquerading as herders, adding that the attackers were believed to have come from outside the state.
According to community sources, gunmen stormed Otobi-Akpa around 1:30 a.m. on Tuesday, opening fire on residents and looting food items and other valuables. Five people were killed during the attack.
Those identified among the victims include Ochi Ugbabe, a former councillor and 2019 House of Assembly candidate on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, Achibi Onah, Eje Eba, and Sunday Iruja.
A community leader, John Anyebe, confirmed that the attackers entered through the railway bridge linking the Ijami axis of Otobi and targeted residents gathered near the transformer junction.
The lawmaker representing Otukpo/Akpa Constituency in the Benue State House of Assembly, Kennedy Angbo, condemned the repeated attacks, describing them as devastating to the communities.
Confirming the incident, the state’s Special Adviser on Internal Security, Joseph Har, said security agencies were swiftly deployed to the affected areas to prevent further violence.
The Benue State Police Command spokesperson, DSP Udeme Edet, also confirmed the killings, stating that investigations were ongoing and efforts were underway to apprehend the perpetrators.
Otukpo and surrounding communities have witnessed repeated attacks in recent months, including a similar assault in April 2025, when 13 people were killed in Otobi-Akpa.