Fresh Benue Attack Leaves Several Dead as Others Go Missing
Fresh violence has erupted in Benue State after suspected gunmen attacked Saai community in Mbajir Ward of Katsina-Ala Local Government Area, leaving several residents dead and others injured.
The overnight assault occurred in the early hours of Wednesday, with local residents saying the attackers stormed the community, opened fire indiscriminately and attacked fleeing victims.
While residents claimed that at least 10 bodies had been recovered, authorities have yet to agree on the casualty figure.
Chairman of Katsina-Ala Local Government Area, Justine Shaku, confirmed the attack but said six people were killed, while the Benue State Police Command put the death toll at five.
The latest bloodshed comes only days after the Chairman of the Benue State chapter of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), Alhaji Ardo Risku Muhammad, and his associate, Yakubu Isah, were ambushed and killed while returning from a police-brokered peace meeting between herders and farming communities in Ohimini Local Government Area.
Reacting to the latest attack, Governor Hyacinth Alia condemned the killings, describing them as a senseless assault on innocent citizens.
He said the violence was aimed at disrupting peace and threatening the state’s agricultural activities at a critical stage of the farming season.
The governor directed security agencies to deploy additional personnel to the affected area, intensify the search for those responsible and strengthen security for farming communities across the state.
In a separate incident, gunmen reportedly abducted Rev. Dr. Samuel Gbinde of the Universal Reformed Christian Church (NKST) and two members of his congregation from the church’s pastoral residence in Guma Local Government Area.
The church confirmed the abduction in a statement, describing the incident as tragic while appealing to security agencies and government authorities to ensure the victims’ safe and unconditional release.
Meanwhile, the Peoples Democratic Party’s governorship candidate for the 2027 Benue election, Michael Aondoakaa (SAN), and Senate Minority Leader, Senator Abba Moro, have condemned the recent killings and kidnappings, urging security agencies to identify those behind the attacks and bring them to justice.
