Officer, Four Others Killed In Benue Attack — Police

A police officer and four others have been killed in an assault by non-state actors in Abande Community, Kwande Local Government Area of Benue State.

The spokesman of the Benue State Police Command, Udeme Edet, said the attack happened on Tuesday.

While some reports claimed that about 16 people were killed during the incident, Udeme said, “An Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) attached to 13 Police Mobile Force (PMF), Makurdi, who was on special duty at Abande Community, was fatally injured during the attack.

“The Divisional Police Officer, Jato-Aka, received a distress call that suspected armed herder bandits, in large numbers, had attacked police personnel stationed at Abande Community as well as members of the community.

“Regrettably, four members of the community also lost their lives as a result of the attack by the bandits,” the spokesman said in a statement issued on Wednesday.

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According to him, a combined team of police operatives and other security agencies has been mobilised to the area to secure the community, conduct a thorough search, and forestall further breakdown of law and order.

He noted that the bodies of the victims have been recovered and deposited at the mortuary.

According to the spokesman, the Benue State Commissioner of Police, Ifeanyi Emenari, has dispatched the Deputy Commissioner of Police (operations) to the affected area.

Emenari also commiserated with the families of the deceased and the Abande community but assured them that measures are being taken to bring the perpetrators to justice and restore peace to the area.

The attack comes at a time when the Federal Government is prosecuting nine suspected terrorists linked to the deadly attack on the Yelwata community in Benue State, where about 150 persons were killed.

On Monday, the Federal Government filed 57 amended charges against the nine suspected terrorists.

The Minister of Justice/Attorney General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, who is leading the prosecution, presented the amended charge before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court in Abuja.

Fagbemi told the court that although 10 defendants were initially listed in the amended charge, the prosecution sought the court’s approval to strike out the name of the sixth defendant, Yakubu Mamman.