Many feared dead in fresh Benue attack

Several persons have been confirmed dead in Tuesday’s attack on Otobi community in the Akpa district of the Otukpo Local Government Area of Benue State by unidentified gunmen.

Media reports say many others were also injured, with many houses burnt.

According to the reports, the assailants raided the community on Tuesday evening at about 5:30 pm, killing many persons and causing hundreds more to be displaced.

Sewuese Anene, the Benue state police spokesperson, while confirming the incident, said police operatives have been deployed to the area.

Anene explained that the community reached out to the police about the attack, and the officers sent to the area have yet to return or send detailed reports.

The persistent violence in Nigeria’s Middle-Belt, particularly in Benue and Plateau states, has escalated into a humanitarian crisis that demands urgent attention.

The cycle of violence continues unabated, with a similar incident occurring on April 10 in the Mbasombo community, Gwer East Local Government Area of Benue State.

Unidentified gunmen launched an attack that resulted in the deaths of at least three individuals.

Mbasombo has been a hotspot for communal clashes and attacks by suspected armed herdsmen. In a previous incident in April 2024, five people were killed in the same community following a dispute over access to a vital water source.

In Plateau State, the Zike community in Bassa Local Government Area was attacked on Monday, April 14, by suspected herders, resulting in many deaths.

The latest attack is coming less than two weeks after 52 persons were killed in some communities of the Bokkos Local Government Area.

Meanwhile, President Bola Tinubu has directed security agencies to fish out the masterminds of the cycle of killings in the state.

Kayode Egbetokun, the Inspector-General of Police, has directed the Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of Operations, Kwazhi Dali Yakubu, to take full charge of ongoing efforts aimed at stabilising the region and ensuring peace returns to affected communities.