Gunmen have killed no fewer than 18 people in coordinated attacks on farming communities in Otukpo LGA of Benue state.
According to Zagazola Makama, a counter-insurgency publication focused on the Lake Chad region, the attacks took place between Friday and the early hours of Sunday, targeting Akpachi village in Ugboju community and Otukpo-Nobi community.
The publication said several residents were injured, while many fled their homes to escape the violence.
Sources told Makama that the attacks began on Friday when armed men invaded farmlands at Akpachi village.
“According to the sources, the assailants killed two of the farmers, while the third victim managed to escape and alerted members of the community,” Makama said.
“Search teams later recovered the bodies on Saturday, and the victims were buried shortly afterwards.
“However, before residents could recover from the tragedy, the attackers returned in the early hours of Sunday, launching another deadly assault on Otukpo-Nobi community at about 4:00 a.m.
“The gunmen reportedly opened fire indiscriminately on sleeping residents, killing at least 16 people on the spot while leaving several others with gunshot injuries.”
The publication said the actual casualty figure is feared to be higher as local volunteers and security personnel continued search operations in surrounding bushes for missing persons.
Makama said the attacks have thrown communities across Otukpo into mourning, with many residents abandoning their homes amid fears of further attacks.
Makama said the attacks came barely two weeks after the killing of Ardo Risku Mohammed, Benue state chairman of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), and Yakubu Isah, his associate.
The two men were ambushed and killed at Okutu community while returning from a peace meeting in Idekpa, Ohimini LGA.
The publication said authorities are investigating whether the latest attacks were carried out in retaliation for the earlier killing of the MACBAN chairman.
Makama said the fresh violence sparked protests across Otukpo on Sunday as hundreds of youths took to the streets, carrying the bodies of some of the victims to the palace of the Och’Idoma during a church service to demand urgent government intervention.
Witnesses told the publication that the protesters accused the government and security agencies of failing to protect farming communities from repeated attacks.
“The protest quickly spread across Otukpo town, with major roads barricaded by demonstrators, causing severe traffic disruption and leaving commuters stranded for several hours,” Makama reported.
“Residents described the atmosphere as tense, with businesses temporarily shutting down while security operatives monitored the situation to prevent further escalation.
“One of the protesters, Ebi Adoyi, lamented that many families had been devastated by the attacks and warned that the casualty figure could rise as more bodies might still be discovered in nearby forests.”
Makama said Maxwell Ogiri, chairman of Otukpo LGA, confirmed both attacks and said preliminary findings suggested they might be linked to reprisals following the killing of the MACBAN chairman.
He explained that after the first attack at Akpachi village, security personnel and local vigilantes searched the surrounding bushes, believing the attackers had fled.
According to him, the renewed assault on Otukpo-Nobi in the early hours of Sunday caught residents off guard.
“The gunmen came and killed two farmers on Friday. One escaped and alerted the community. We recovered the bodies on Saturday and buried them,” he said.
“After searching the surrounding bushes, we believed they had left the area, but around 4 a.m. on Sunday, we received distress calls that they had invaded Otukpo-Nobi, killing several people and injuring many others.”
THE CABLE
