Herdsmen Attack Benue Communities Again, Kill 4 Police Officers

 

Armed herdsmen have stormed Udei village, Guma Local Government Area of Benue State, on Sunday, June 30 and killed four police officers.

It was gathered that the mobile police officers attached to the 12 Police Mobile Force (PMF) unit were killed during an ambush by the herdsmen.

 

The killing happened after four mobile police officers at Tse Abough in Udei Community violently resisted attempts by the terrorists to launch simultaneous attacks on the Daudu, Tse Ashongu, and Tse Asha communities.

 

According to local residents, the combined team of security officers stationed in the area engaged the renegade herders when they attempted to invade the Ortese Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camp.

 

“I think the herders constantly hearing about the return of the IDPs to their ancestral homes are targeting the camps now. This time around, it’s the Ortese Camp which is hosting thousands of IDPs. If not the quick intervention of the military personnel and other security agencies stationed in the area who engaged the marauders in the bush and halted their move into Ortese camp, the world would have stood still for this one,” the source said

 

A local youth, who only went by the name Kaase, claimed that when the herders attempted to invade Daudu on their first try, the security guards stopped them and fled to Tse Ashongu and Asha, but the vigilant residents fled before they could get there.

 

“The marauding herders on their way to attack Ortese Internally Displaced Persons camp  started shooting to scare the IDPs before their arrival,  but the combined team of Army and other security personnel engaged them in a gun battle and they flee to Udei Town which is a stone throw to Yelewata, the recently attacked community where over 200 persons were killed.”

 

According to him, the terrorists at Udei began firing intermittently to frighten the locals. They then got into a gunfight with the mobile police officers stationed there once more, but four of the officers were killed, and the attackers took their weapons and ammunition with them.

 

The deceased officers were identified as: Insp. Samuel Bisalla, Insp. Emmanuel Bitrus, Insp. John Sunday and Insp. Kenneth Gabriel.

 

Two other personnel, ASP Jacob Elisha and Insp. Zakari Bangajiya sustained injuries and were rushed to Benue State University Teaching Hospital, Makurdi, for medical attention. They are said to be responding to treatment after suffering from exhaustion and shock. 

 

In response to the attack, special tactical units and a reinforced team equipped with an Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC) have been deployed to Udei and the Daudu Divisional Headquarters to forestall further incidents and restore calm in the area. 

 

The Udei attack occurred 16 days after a similar attack on Yelewata Community, which left over 150 people dead and numerous others injured, many of whom are still receiving treatment in the hospital.

 

The state police command is yet to comment on this development.