How herdsmen attacked Otobi-Akpa while in search of food for kidnapped victims

Fresh details have emerged on the deadly attack that claimed four lives in Otobi-Akpa, Otukpo Local Government Area, Benue State.
According to an Emergency Situation Report from the Benue State Civil Protection Guards (BSCPG), Benue South Headquarters, Otukpo, armed men suspected to be herdsmen-kidnappers attacked a provision shop in the early hours of Tuesday, allegedly in search of food for previously abducted victims.
“The suspected herdsmen-kidnappers opened fire on residents, killing four people on the spot before looting the shop,” the report stated.

The victims killed at the shop have been identified as Igbabe Ochi, Achibi Onah, Eje Eba, and Sunday Iruja.

Following the attack, the assailants reportedly fled into a nearby forest after residents raised the alarm.

The BSCPG said security operatives, including police personnel and civil protection guards, were promptly deployed to the area to prevent further attacks. Patrols have since been intensified.

The report also confirmed that four persons abducted earlier by the armed men remain in captivity, raising concerns that criminal groups continue to operate freely from surrounding forests.

Reacting to the attack, John Anyebe, President of the Otobi Community Development Association, said the assailants entered the community via the railway station bridge from the Ijami axis of Otobi.

“They shot one person near the Water Board before proceeding to where Igbabe Ochi and others were. They opened fire on them and looted nearby shops for food and valuables,” Anyebe said.

He lamented the recurring violence in the community, recalling that 13 persons were killed on April 15, 2025, barely two weeks after three others were murdered at the Omebe axis of Otobi.

Similarly, the lawmaker representing Otukpo-Akpa State Constituency, Mr. Kennedy Angbo, condemned the persistent attacks, describing the situation as alarming.

“Five of my people have been killed again in Otobi, barely a year after 13 persons were murdered in the same area. Just on Sunday evening, gunmen attacked travellers on a Benue Links bus at Burnt Bricks, Otukpo, injuring three persons,” he said.

Angbo called on security agencies to intensify intelligence gathering and counter-operations to flush out criminal elements from the area.