Tragedy struck again in Benue State on Wednesday as suspected armed herdsmen launched a deadly assault on Ikobi community in Apa Local Government Area, killing two soldiers and two civilians.
The attack, which occurred around 3:30 p.m., saw the assailants ambush the area, fatally shooting the soldiers stationed in the community and seizing their weapons. The gunmen then opened fire on residents, resulting in further casualties and injuries.
Confirming the incident, Apa LGA Chairman Adam Ogwola said he was notified shortly after the assault began. “I received a call at about 3:30 p.m. that there was an attack in Ikobi community by armed herdsmen. I tried reaching out to people in the area, but there was no response,” he told reporters.
Ogwola explained that the bodies of the two civilians were recovered on Thursday morning, while military authorities evacuated the remains of the slain soldiers. He noted that the civilians were buried promptly, in line with local customs, due to the frequency of hit-and-run attacks in the area.
“Since we are in the period of hit-and-run attacks by herders, when it happens we may not allow corpses to stay beyond 24 hours,” he said.
Military and police operatives have since been deployed to the area to restore calm and maintain order. However, efforts to reach Benue State Police Public Relations Officer, CSP Catherine Anene, and Captain Abdullahi Osabo of the 401 Special Forces Brigade and Sector 1 of Operation Whirl Stroke (OPWS), were unsuccessful as of press time.
The attack is the latest in a series of deadly assaults linked to herdsmen in Benue, a state long plagued by farmer-herder conflicts. The killings have heightened security concerns and further underscored the vulnerability of rural communities in the region.
