No fewer than 46 persons were reportedly killed when suspected herdsmen Wednesday evening attacked Umogidi, a community in Entekpa ward, Adoka, Otukpo local government area of Benue state.
The suspects had earlier Tuesday beheaded a Catholic Church leader of St. Luke in Apa local government area of the state.
Chairman of Otukpo local government council, Mr. Bako Ejeh, said his 33-year-old son was among those killed by the herdsmen in the attack.
Special Adviser to the Benue state Governor on Security, Lt.-Colonel Paul Hemba (rtd) confirmed the killing of the 46 persons.
He said: “I can confirm to you that there was an attack in Umogidi and as at this morning, the causality figure from those who were seen physically from what I was told were 46.
“But, the figure may rise higher because some people are still reported missing. Police have been deployed and soldiers sent there to assist. The situation for now is calm.
“The local government chairman is from that community and unfortunately, he too lost his 33-year-old son. It’s a very tragic and painful incident.”
But the spokesman of the state Police Command, SP Catherine Sewuese Anene, when contacted said: “Attack on Umogidi community confirmed.
Eight corpses recovered including a police officer. More police teams have been deployed to the area to forestall further breakdown of law and order.”
Monarchs cry out
Meanwhile, the Idoma Area Traditional Council has called for a security meeting of stakeholders to deliberate on the killings in the area.
The letter signed by the Och’Idoma & Chairman Idoma Area Traditional Council himself, His Royal Majesty Agaba-Idu Elaigwu Odogbo Obagaji John, expressed worry over the killing in Idoma land.
The letter reads in part: “The Idoma nation in the last few months has been invaded by an influx of ravaging marauders, who are going about killing our people in their homes and farms with a demonstrated intention to sack our people out of their ancestral motherlands.
“As of today, communities in Agatu, Apa, Ohimini, and Otukpo have been ruined, and our wives, mothers, and sisters have had their horrid taste of this.
“Our fathers and young men have suffered extinction in the most gruesome manners. Just yesterday, a beaded chief of our gracious kingdom was forcefully evicted from amongst us by these marauding herdsmen.
“These people have stolen our peace and murdered our sleep, but our spirit must remain unsubdued!
“This premeditated onslaught is going on in almost every nook and cranny of Benue state, albeit, unabated.
“As it stands, it is either we go to the mountain or the mountain comes to us.”
3 killed in Lagos
In a related development, the Lagos state Police command confirmed three persons were killed by gunmen in Gowon Estate, Ipaja area of the state.
The command’s spokesperson, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed the incident to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday.
Hundeyin said the incident happened on Wednesday at about 11.35 p.m.
He said that the Gowon Estate Police Division received a call from the Naval Block of the estate that some people were shot by unknown gunmen on 41 Road, Union Bank Block in the estate.
The image maker said that two patrol teams immediately moved to the scene.
Hundeyin said that at the scene, the police officers were told that the victims had been rushed to Igando General Hospital.
“While at the scene of the shooting, the police recovered nine expended cartridges and a bunch of keys.
“At Igando General Hospital, one unknown male corpse was recovered and evacuated to Mainland General Hospital, Yaba for preservation and autopsy.
“Further information given to the police revealed that two male corpses were taken away by their families.
”One male survivor, Doba Ngoze, is currently on admission at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Idi-Araba,” he said.
The spokesperson said that investigations into the case were already ongoing.
…Edo too
Similarly, three mobile policemen were Thursday morning killed while a fourth was seriously injured as gunmen opened fire on them while they were resuming at their duty post near Agor, along the Igarra-Auchi Road in Edo state.
One of the assailants died of gunshots while another sustained gunshot wounds and has been taken to an undisclosed hospital for treatment and interrogation while six rifles were recovered from them.
Blueprint gathered that the incident happened between 5:30 and 6 am close to the popular Agor Market where the mobile policemen usually mount roadblocks.
The checkpoint, said the source, was because of the activities of kidnappers in the area who comb the farm settlements to abduct and collect ransom from hapless farmers.
He said: “While the policemen were driving in their car, another of their colleagues was riding on a motorbike behind the vehicle when the assailants who apparently laid ambush opened fire on them.
“The officer on bike engaged the assailants who fled into the bush with the four rifles of the policemen after killing them.”
The head of the vigilante group in the area, Ibukun Dogo gave an account of the incident thus: “I got a call from the DPO around 6 am that his men were attacked and we quickly mobilised to the place and saw the lifeless bodies of the three officers.
“We saw blood markings on the ground into the bush and we trailed those blood stains to a hideout of the suspects where we met two of them with gunshot injuries, one died from the gunshots while the other was taken away by the police to the hospital.
“We recovered the four police rifles and an additional two in the area we found them. The suspect said they are from Okenne in Kogi State but we don’t know their mission whether it is armed robbery or kidnapping they wanted to use the arms for.”
The state police command was yet to respond to the development as at the time of this report.
