Midnight Attack Claims Five Lives in Benue Community
By Shalom Ikuvbogie
Five people, including a former councillor and one-time House of Assembly candidate, Igbabe Ochi, were killed in the early hours of Tuesday when gunmen attacked Otobi Akpa community in Otukpo Local Government Area of Benue State.
The assailants, believed to be armed herdsmen, struck around 1:30am, opening fire on residents gathered at a provision shop. Four people were shot dead at the spot, while another victim was killed in a related incident nearby. A woman was among those who lost their lives.
Residents said the attackers looted food items from shops before escaping into a nearby forest when youths raised an alarm and attempted to confront them.
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Security reports later confirmed the incident. The Benue State Civil Protection Guards said the gunmen invaded the community in search of food, allegedly for people earlier kidnapped, and shot residents before fleeing.
Those killed at the shop were identified as Igbabe Ochi, Achibi Onah, Eje Eba and Sunday Iruja. Security operatives, including police officers and civil protection guards, were deployed to the area shortly after the attack, with patrols stepped up to prevent further violence.
The report also confirmed that four people abducted in earlier attacks are still being held captive, raising fears that criminal groups are operating freely from surrounding forests.
The President of the Otobi Community Development Association, John Anyebe, said the attackers entered through the railway station bridge and first shot a resident near the Water Board before moving to the shop where Ochi and others were gathered.
He lamented the repeated attacks on the community, recalling that 13 people were killed in April 2025, just weeks after another deadly incident in a nearby area.
The lawmaker representing Otukpo-Akpa State Constituency, Kennedy Angbo, described the situation as disturbing and called for stronger security action. He noted that the latest killings came barely a year after a previous mass attack and days after gunmen attacked a commercial bus in Otukpo, injuring passengers.
Efforts to get a response from the Benue State Police Command were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report.
