Suspected armed herders are believed to have caused fatalities and injuries in separate assaults on Ochumekwu and Udedeku communities in Apa and Kwande Local Government areas of Benue State.
The reported incidents involve the killing of a soldier, injury to another, and the deaths of two farmers, with several others sustaining injuries.
The targeted military personnel, deployed as part of Operation Whirl Stroke (OPWS) to address the menace of armed herders and bandits in the region, were attacked during a patrol in the community. Concurrently, in a raid on Udedeku community in Maav-Ya, Mkoonmom district of Mbaikyor Council Ward, Turan Jato-Aka in Kwande local government area, two individuals were killed, and numerous others were injured.
According to a local source, armed herders, who had seized control of multiple Council Wards in Turan and Ikyurav Ya, invaded Udedeku community, ambushing and slaughtering victims. As a result, inhabitants have evacuated their homes, seeking refuge elsewhere to evade potential harm from the well-equipped herders.
Force Commander Maj. Gen. Sunday Igbinomwanhia of OPWS confirmed the attack on his troops, stating that three assailants were killed in the encounter, and their weapons were seized. He provided details on the Ochumekwu incident, where one soldier was killed, another wounded, and three attackers neutralized with the recovery of an AK-47 rifle and ammunition. Additionally, OPWS is conducting a clearance operation in Kwande council to expel suspected armed foreign herders who have invaded the area.
