Suspected armed herdsmen have launched fresh attacks on three communities in Otukpo Local Government Area (LGA) of Benue state, injuring at least three people.
This development comes less than 24 hours after a deadly assault on Otobi-Akpa community in the same LGA, which claimed 11 lives.
The attack on Otobi-Akpa community occurred around 6 pm on Tuesday, with assailants firing gunshots indiscriminately and burning houses.
An eyewitness working at the Federal Government College (FGC), Otobi, recounted that the attackers followed the main road into the community, killing a man close to the small gate of the FGC.
Many residents fled to Otukpo town for safety, and the eyewitness expressed concern over the whereabouts of her two teenage children after the attack.
The eyewitness alleged that police officers stationed along the road near the scene abandoned their posts, removing their uniforms and fleeing towards Otukpo for their own safety, instead of rushing to the scene to save lives.
Chairman of Otukpo LGA, Maxwell Ogiri, confirmed the attacks on Emichi, Okpomaju, and Odudaje, stating that the assailants struck while the Benue state Police Commissioner and his security team were at the Och’Idoma palace consulting with the paramount ruler over the Otobi attack.
Ogiri noted that three people sustained injuries, and prompt response from combined security operatives forced the attackers to flee without any arrests.
The number of casualties from the Otobi-Akpa attack stands at 11 confirmed dead, with several others reported missing, Blueprint reports.
The search for the missing persons is ongoing.
Kennedy Angbo, lawmaker representing Otukpo-Akpa state constituency, confirmed the casualties, stating that 10 bodies were recovered on Tuesday night, with one more discovered at daybreak.