Benue: One injured as soldiers, police clash in Naka

One person was reportedly injured following a clash between soldiers and operatives of the Nigerian Police’s Operation Zenda Joint Task Force (JTF) in Naka, the headquarters of Gwer West Local Government Area of Benue State.

The incident, which occurred on Tuesday, triggered panic and a stampede in the town, which hosts many internally displaced persons fleeing herdsmen attacks.

IDOMA VOICE gathered that the confrontation led to the destruction of the official vehicle belonging to the JTF Commander, CSP Lyam Akegh, during what witnesses described as an exchange of gunfire.

Eyewitnesses said the police team was returning from an anti-kidnapping and anti-banditry operation along the Makurdi–Naka–Adoka–Ankpa and Naka–Agagbe routes when soldiers intercepted them at a checkpoint. A disagreement reportedly escalated into gunfire between both security agencies.

A traditional ruler, Chief Deligba Akaa, reportedly sheltered a three-year-old boy who went missing in the chaos. Residents also claimed that some children were yet to be found amid the confusion that followed the clash.

However, a security source, who spoke anonymously, said the altercation began earlier when troops at the checkpoint spotted motorcyclists carrying butchered cows — a movement they considered suspicious.

According to the source, the soldiers attempted to stop the motorcyclists for questioning when a Toyota Hilux driving at high speed approached the checkpoint and ignored repeated signals to stop. Warning shots were fired, but the vehicle sped into Naka town.

The source said sporadic gunfire later erupted in the community, allegedly after some Operation Zenda operatives fired into the air to celebrate the end of their operation. A stray bullet reportedly struck a 12-year-old boy in the leg; he is currently receiving treatment at Naka Medical Centre and is in stable condition.

The security source further revealed that Operation Zenda personnel later returned to the checkpoint, insisting on the release of suspects earlier arrested with mutilated cows believed to have been stolen. One of the suspects allegedly admitted that the cows were being transported in the same Hilux vehicle that refused to stop earlier.

Neither Operation Whirl Stroke (OPWS) nor the Nigerian Army has issued an official statement on the cause of the confrontation.

Benue State Police Command spokesperson, DSP Udeme Edet, confirmed that investigations were underway to determine what led to the incident.

The Special Adviser to the Benue State Governor on Security and Internal Affairs, Joseph Har, said he was yet to receive full details of the clash.