Gunmen, suspected to be armed herders, carried out coordinated attacks on communities in Ukum and Logo local government areas of Benue State on Thursday night, killing 17 people, the police have confirmed.
The attacks in Benue occurred four days after suspected armed herders killed dozens of people in communities in neighbouring Plateau State. It is not certain if the attacks were carried out by the same criminal gang.
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The police in Benue said many other residents of the two communities were killed in the attacks that occurred at about 9 p.m.
Benue police spokesperson Sewuese Anene, in a Friday statement, said that five people were killed in Ukum and 12 in Logo.
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“On 17/4/2025 at about 2100hrs, information was received that a large number of suspected militia had invaded Sankera axis of Benue State with intention to attack communities around Gbagir, Ukum Local Government Area.
“Upon receipt of this report, the Commissioner of Police, Benue State Police command, CP. Steve Yabanet, ordered tactical teams to move to the area and join forces with police officers on ground and other security agencies to forestall the attack,” she wrote.
Ms Anene said the police engaged the gunmen in a shootout, but the assailants eventually killed five farmers.
“Following this order (of the police commissioner), a team of officers moved to the area and engaged them. While the attackers were being repelled in the early hours of today, they shot sporadically at unsuspecting farmers as they came across them.
“Five persons were recovered at Gbagir area and taken to the hospital where they were confirmed dead,”
The police spokesperson said the attack in Logo occurred at about the same time as that of Ukum.
“Unfortunately, an unsuspected simultaneous attack was carried out in Logo where 12 persons were killed before the arrival of the police, making a total of 17 persons.
“However, security agencies within Sankera axis are still engaging the bandits as they retreat back to the forest around Taraba axis,” she said.
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The police spokesperson said that false claims about the attack were being circulated on social media. She warned the persons behind such false claims to desist, warning that such actions could create unnecessaryn the state.
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No group has claimed responsibility for the attack in Benue and the previous ones in Plateau. However, suspected armed herders have carried out several invasions of communities in both states, killing hundreds of people in the past decade.
PREMIUM TIMES reports that about 100 people were killed recently in attacks by suspected armed herders on Plateau communities.
The latest attack occurred in the early hours of Monday when the gunmen attacked the Zike and Kimakpa communities of Kwall District in the Iregwe Chiefdom. Over 50 were reported killed in the attack , with several houses and other properties also destroyed.
Plateau State Governor Caleb Mutfwang, who visited the attacked communities on Tuesday, said he believes “every community must defend itself” in response to the mass killings in the state by suspected armed herders.
