Four Mobile Policemen were killed in an attack by suspected armed herders on the Udei community in Benue State’s Guma Local Government Area.
The attack occurred on Sunday afternoon, with eyewitnesses reporting sporadic gunfire and residents fleeing their farms.
They were said to have invaded the Asha community, where they shot sporadically, chasing people away from their farms, and it eventually escalated to Ortese, which is home to thousands of Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs.
A source revealed that the quick intervention of the military personnel stationed in the area who engaged the marauders in the bush halted their move into Ortese, and no resident was killed in the renewed attack.
A community leader in the area and former acting Chairman of Benue State Universal Basic Education Board, Mr Matthew Mnyan, who confirmed the development, disclosed that “the attack started at about 11am at Asha, which is very close to Ortese. They began pursuing people from their farms, and it escalated to Ortese.
“It got to the point that the soldiers there moved in with their armoured truck, and when it became intense, they moved in another armoured truck, and they engaged them for up to one hour in the bush.
“And before you knew it, they started moving and shooting at Dudu, which is before Daudu.
“When I got the information, I immediately called the Divisional Police Officer, DPO, who took his men there to repel them.
“In what looked like a coordinated attack, they also attacked Udei at about 2 pm, and four Mobile Policemen were killed in the shootout.
“I was told that they are still around even now. They have reappeared at Ortese this evening. As we speak, people are in fear.
“When I called the Area Commander he said he has mobilised to Udei and I learnt they went in their numbers but it is getting dark and people are entertaining fear. Even the IDPs in Ortese are all in fear and calling that they need more security.”
Police authorities in Benue State are yet to issue an official statement in respect to the development.