Three persons have been killed and two others abducted after armed men attacked mourners returning from a burial in Sati-Ikov council ward of the Ushongo Local Government Area of Benue State.
The attack, which occurred on Saturday night, is the latest in a series of violent incidents reported in the state in recent weeks.
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Residents said the victims were ambushed near the community as they made their way back from the ceremony.
The lawmaker representing Ushongo Constituency in the Benue State House of Assembly, Simon Gabo, confirmed the incident.
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Mr Gabo identified those killed as Bem Msughter from Mbakyombo in Daav-Ikov, Aondo Chia from Mbamegh in Daa-Ikov, and Sunday Terwase of Mbakyor in Daav-Ikov.
He said Aondongu Amos, a Point of Sale operator based in Sati-Ikov, and Mrs Arinze, an Igbo patent medicine trader, were abducted.
Mr Gabo said he was informed of the incident in the early hours of Sunday.
“I received a call from my people at about 4 a.m. that they had gone for a burial and on their way back, they ran into armed men,” he said. “The armed men shot and killed three of them. They also robbed some residents and kidnapped two people.”
The lawmaker expressed concern over what he described as a steady pattern of attacks in the area, noting that similar incidents had occurred repeatedly in recent weeks.
“Apart from this, we have had one or two such incidents every other week,” he said, adding that three people were also killed in the community about two weeks ago.
Mr Gabo attributed the attacks to armed groups operating across local boundaries, alleging that the assailants often move from neighbouring Katsina-Ala Local Government Area into Ushongo to carry out attacks.
“They cross from there to our side, attack and return. It is a mountainous area with large forests, which makes it difficult to track them,” he said.
He added that the incident had been reported to the police and that the Divisional Police Officer had deployed officers to the area on Sunday morning.
A local resident, who requested anonymity due to security concerns, said the attackers opened fire on the group without warning.
“Some mourners who were returning from a burial were attacked close to our community on Saturday night,” the resident said. “Three of them were killed, and two others, a man and a woman, were taken away.”
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Efforts to get a response from the Benue State Police Command were unsuccessful, as the spokesperson, Udeme Edet, could not be reached at the time of filing this report.
The latest attack comes amid a broader security crisis in Benue State, where communities across several local government areas have faced persistent violence, including killings, abductions, and raids on villages.
In recent weeks, incidents have been reported in areas such as Otukpo, where passengers were abducted along a major highway, and in parts of Agatu and Apa, where coordinated attacks left multiple residents dead and others displaced.
The repeated attacks have heightened fears among residents, particularly in rural communities, where access to security presence remains limited.
Local leaders and residents have continued to call for increased security deployment and sustained operations to curb the violence, warning that the frequency of attacks is disrupting livelihoods and deepening uncertainty across affected areas.
