Bandits have carried out a deadly assault on the Umogidi community in the Entekpa Council ward of Otukpo Local Government Area, Benue State, resulting in the deaths of two farmers.
In this recent attack, two community members sustained injuries, and another individual was abducted by the bandits, who seem intent on forcing people from their ancestral land.
Local sources, preferring anonymity, revealed that the deceased farmers had recently fled their homes due to a previous attack but returned to work on their farms in Umogidi, where they tragically lost their lives on Tuesday.
The remaining three victims were also targeted while working on their farms during the bandit raid, leading to one abduction and injuries to the other two individuals.
One of the locals who spoke to journalists on the phone on Thursday said, “They (bandits) are now demanding N5m as ransom for the kidnapped victims.
“All of these victims are IDPs who went to fetch food in their farms and were attacked by the same armed herders who chased them away from home in the first place.”
Confirming the incident in a telephone chat with journalists on Thursday, the Caretaker Chairman of Otukpo LGA, Alfred Oketa Omakwu, said the victims were IDPs who went to the farm on Tuesday but were attacked.
He confirmed the killing of two people, adding that the bandits again attacked another village, Upu in Otukpo on Wednesday but were repelled by soldiers who engaged them in a gun battle from the afternoon until 7 pm.
The chairman noted that there was no record of death in the Wednesday attack because of the swift response by soldiers.
Omakwu said, “The IDPs are camped in St. Charles Primary School while most of them as they are going to their farms to fetch farm produce, rented one room for their family to stay in Adoka central.
“They (victims) left Adoka where they were taking refuge and went to their farms at Umogidi when they were attacked, two of them were killed.
“Yesterday (Wednesday) there was another attack in Upu village, they (armed invaders) opened gunfire on the village, the soldiers were there, so they engaged them and chased them to the bush. They exchanged gunfire till 7 pm and they (armed invaders) ran away. There was no casualty.”
Efforts to get the reaction of the police spokesperson, Catherine Anene, were not successful as her phone line did not connect.
