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At least nine people, including a police officer, have been killed in a series of coordinated attacks by alleged armed shepherd in four communities in the area of the Agatu Regional Government (LGA) in the Benue state.
The attacks, which began last Friday and continued until Tuesday, targeted the villages of Okwutanobe, Okpokpolo, Olegagbani, and Ikpele, leaving residents in fear and asking for calls for urgent government intervention.
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Local sources say the attackers are believed to have crossed to Agatu from neighboring Kogi, launched an attack on the community, and then resigned. The attack looks methodical and continuous for several days.
A resident identified as odenyi tells the time line of attack:
Friday: Two died at Okwutanobe.
Saturday: One Killed in OKPOKPOLO.
Monday: One Killed in Olegagbani.
Tuesday: Five people, including a police officer, were killed in Ikpele.
Confirming the death, Chairman of Agatu LGA, James Melvin, stated, “Four people were killed in Okwutanobe, Okpokpolo, and Olegagbani, while five others, including a police officer, were killed in Ikpele.”
He suggested that the attack might retaliate, following the new claim by the Benue State Chapter from the Association of God’s Miyetti Cattle Farmers in Nigeria that more than 340 cows were bound in the area in July. The association accused the criminals of operating in the theft of livestock.
“We condemn this murder in the strongest,” Melvin said. “If this is a retaliation, it is completely unacceptable. We urge the shepherd to allow the government and security agencies to investigate the alleged rustling cattle, instead of switching to violence.”
The chairman of the council also appointed the main logistics obstacle which hampered security responses: poor road infrastructure.
“The roads in Agatu are terrible. Even when the police are told, it can take up to four hours to reach the affected villages. At that time, the attackers had escaped,” he said.
When contacted, a spokesman for the Benue State Police Command, SP Catherine Udeme Edet, said she had not received a formal report on the incident but ensured that there was an adequate police presence in the area.
