A new armed herder attack on the Udei community in Benue State’s Guma Local Government Area (LGA) on Sunday afternoon was thought to have killed at least four Mobile Police officers.
The Yelewata community, which was also overrun by armed bandits more than two weeks ago, is less than a fifteen-minute drive from the Udei community.
According to information obtained, the bandits who started the attacks at around 11 a.m. also tried to invade nearby Daudu but were driven back by a group of local youngsters and security officials.
After allegedly invading the Asha hamlet and firing intermittently, driving residents off their farms, the situation reportedly spread to Ortese, where thousands of internally displaced people, or IDPs, reside.
The source disclosed that the quick intervention of the military personnel stationed in the area who engaged the marauders in the bush halted their move into Ortese, and no resident was killed in the renewed attack.
Contacted a community leader in the area and former acting Chairman of Benue State Universal Basic Education Board, Mr Matthew Mnyan, who confirmed the development, disclosed that “the attack started at about 11 am at Asha, which is very close to Ortese. They began pursuing people from their farms, and it escalated to Ortese.
“It got to the point that the soldiers there moved in with their armoured truck, and when it became intense, they moved in another armoured truck, and they engaged them for up to one hour in the bush.
And before you knew it, they started moving and shooting at Dudu, which is before Daudu.
“When I got the information, I immediately called the Divisional Police Officer, DPO, who took his men there to repel them.
“In what looked like a coordinated attack, they also attacked Udei at about 2 pm, and four Mobile Policemen were killed in the shootout.
“I was told that they are still around even now. They have reappeared at Ortese this evening. As we speak, people are in fear.
“When I called the Area Commander he said he has mobilised to Udei and I learnt they went in their numbers but it is getting dark and people are entertaining fear. Even the IDPs in Ortese are all in fear and calling that they need more security.”
This latest wave of attacks came about 16 days after a similar attack on the neighbouring Yelewata community claimed over 200 lives, with many hospitalised and many others displaced.
Efforts to get the reaction of the Police Public Relations Officer, Deputy Superintendent, DSP, Udeme Edet were unsuccessful. She did not pick up her calls and also did not reply to her text messages.
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