A police officer and four residents have been confirmed dead following a deadly attack by suspected armed herders on Abande Community in Kwande Local Government Area of Benue State.
The Benue State Police Command said the victims were killed when the attackers stormed the community in large numbers, targeting both security personnel and civilians.
Confirming the incident, the Command’s spokesperson, Udeme Edet, disclosed that an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) attached to the 13 Police Mobile Force (PMF), Makurdi, who was on special duty in Abande, sustained fatal injuries during the assault.
“The Divisional Police Officer, Jato-Aka, received a distress call that suspected armed herder bandits, in large numbers, had attacked police personnel stationed at Abande Community as well as members of the community,” Edet said in a statement.
He added:
“Regrettably, four members of the community also lost their lives as a result of the attack by the bandits.”
Edet explained that a joint team of police operatives and other security agencies has been deployed to the area to secure the community, conduct intensive searches, and prevent further breakdown of law and order.
According to him, the bodies of the deceased have been recovered and deposited at a mortuary, while security operations continue across the affected axis.
The Benue State Commissioner of Police, Ifeanyi Emenari, has also dispatched the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of Operations to Abande to coordinate response efforts.
Emenari commiserated with the families of the victims and residents of Abande Community, assuring them that the command is determined to apprehend those responsible.
“We sympathise with the families of the deceased and the entire Abande community. Measures are being intensified to bring the perpetrators to justice and restore peace to the area,” the police commissioner said.
The latest attack comes amid ongoing efforts by the Federal Government to prosecute nine suspected terrorists linked to the deadly assault on Yelwata Community in Benue State, where about 150 people were reportedly killed.
In Abuja, the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), recently filed 57 amended charges against the suspects before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court.
Fagbemi informed the court that although 10 defendants were initially listed, the prosecution sought approval to strike out the name of the sixth defendant, Yakubu Mamman.
Residents of Kwande Local Government Area have continued to call for stronger security presence as attacks in rural communities persist.
