At least three people have been killed and two others injured in fresh attacks by suspected armed herders on Elulu and Agadagba communities in Ohimini Local Government Area of Benue State.
The attacks came two days after the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Olatunji Disu, visited the state and promised intensified security operations.
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The attacks, which occurred between Friday and Saturday night, are the latest on communities in Benue despite renewed security measures announced by federal and state authorities.
The Chairman of Ohimini Local Government, Gabriel Adole, confirmed the attacks to journalists on Sunday.
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He said the gunmen first invaded Elulu village on Friday before attacking Agadagba community on Saturday.
“It is not only in Agadagba community that the armed herders killed people. They first attacked Elulu village the day before yesterday, killed somebody, attacked another person and collected his Bajaj motorcycle,” Mr Adole said.
“They also went to Agadagba village that very day to rustle cows, but the people repelled them. So, they shot one of them in the leg. They couldn’t rustle the cows from there again. Yesterday, being Saturday, they went out again and killed two persons in Agadagba.
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“As I am talking to you, I am even preparing to go to the communities to pay them condolences.
“So far, three lives have been lost in the attacks. They injured two persons, the one whose bike they collected and the one they shot while attempting to rustle his cows. Both of them are still in the hospital receiving treatment.”
A resident of Agadagba, who identified himself simply as Ameh, said the attackers attempted to rustle cattle before opening fire on residents who resisted them.
“The Fulani herdsmen attacked our community yesterday night and attempted to rustle cows. Some youths repelled them, but because the attackers were heavily armed, they shot at the youths and two of them died,” he said.
Mr Adole said community vigilantes and other security personnel had been deployed to the affected communities to prevent further attacks.
According to him, Governor Hyacinth Alia had directed additional security support to the area.
“The governor has actually mobilised me and I have also mobilised the community vigilantes because it is only the vigilantes that can get to where they are. I can assure you that with the adequate security provided by the governor in Ohimini, we will get those perpetrators.
“The vigilantes are on ground and Alia has mobilised me to also mobilise them, which I have done. These marauders cannot drive us out of our land,” he said.
The spokesperson for the Benue State Police Command, Udeme Edet, could not be reached for comments as calls to her telephone line were not answered as of the time of filing this report.
IGP’s visit
The fresh attacks came barely 48 hours after the Inspector-General of Police visited Benue for an operational assessment and a strategic security meeting with Governor Alia and other stakeholders.
During the visit on Thursday, Mr Disu pledged intensified intelligence-led policing and urged residents to provide credible information to security agencies, assuring them that informants’ identities would be protected.
Governor Alia, on his part, renewed his call for the establishment of state police, arguing that officers with local knowledge of communities and terrain would respond more effectively to security threats.
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The governor also pledged the state’s support for a proposed 14-day security sweep across Benue and reiterated his administration’s commitment to ensuring that farmers could return safely to their communities.
Earlier attacks
PREMIUM TIMES earlier reported that at least eight people were killed on 12 July when suspected armed herders attacked Otukpo-Nobi and Akpachi communities in neighbouring Otukpo Local Government Area.
The attacks triggered protests by youths, who blocked major roads and demanded urgent government intervention to end the recurring violence.
Amnesty International subsequently called for an independent investigation into the killings, warning that repeated attacks on rural communities had displaced hundreds of residents across Benue State.
The latest assault also comes about a month after the killing of the Benue State Chairman of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), Risku Mohammed, and his associate, Yakubu Isah, who were ambushed and killed on 26 June while returning from a peace meeting in Ohimini Local Government Area.
Following the killing, police announced the arrest of suspects connected to the incident, while several communities in Benue South expressed fears that subsequent attacks could be reprisals.
Residents and community leaders have repeatedly called on the federal and Benue State governments to strengthen security in vulnerable rural communities to prevent further loss of lives.
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