Blood on the country road: ambush by armed men, four travelers killed…

Four people died on Saturday after armed assailants laid an ambush on Aila-Odugheho road in Agatu Local Government Area.

Locals identified the victims as Ochefije Elijah Ojema, Igojuju Husaini, Odiya Ochowechi and Ochoyoda Adejo.

Residents said travelers were attacked in the rural stretch and killed by the attackers.

Agatu LGA chairman Melvin Ejeh confirmed the killings on Sunday, saying heightened security had made large-scale village attacks difficult, forcing bandits to change tactics.

“Due to the robust security strategies we have put in place in the community, it is now difficult to attack and invade any community in Agatu LGA, so they resort to ambush which is a little more complex to deal with,” Ejeh told reporters in Makurdi.

He said clearance operations were underway. “Security agencies, including the DPO himself, local vigilantes are already in the area and are carrying out clearance operations” to flush out bandits from nearby forests.

Benue Police spokesperson, DSP Udeme Edet, said they were yet to receive the divisional officer’s report as of press time.

Saturday’s killings add to a spate of rural ambushes plaguing Benue, as armed groups use forested land and isolated roads to target travellers.

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