Nigeria Conflict Claims Four Lives in Fresh Benue Herder Attack

Suspected armed herders killed four people in an overnight attack on Abaashwa hamlet in Guma Local Government Area of Benue State as part of the Nigeria conflict, a continuing wave of violence across Benue and other Nigerian states including Plateau and Sokoto.

Latest Attack in Benue State

The 11 p.m. attack in Abaashwa, Mbaasar, Nzorov Council Ward, lasted about an hour and killed Emberga Akombu, Terver Pool, Emberga Tersoo and Pool Tersoo while injuring James Agir, Bunde Pool, Akombu Jeremiah and one other resident. [1] Residents link the assault to the recent police arrest of an armed herder found grazing cattle with a rifle after complaints of open grazing and farmland destruction. [1] One local source described how the attackers invaded the community at about the dead of night, attacking homes and killing victims in their sleep. [4] The same source noted that three persons were killed during the attack while several others sustained injuries, with the injured taken to the General Hospital in Gbajimba where one later died, bringing the death toll to four. [4] Former Executive Secretary of the Benue State Teaching Service Board Frank Kyungun, who hails from the community, described the attack as unprovoked and said the armed herdsmen came at about midnight and launched a heavy assault on the community. [4] The Chairman of Guma LGA Morris Orwough condemned the attack and stated that security personnel had been deployed to Abaushwa to restore peace, protect lives and property, and prevent further attacks. [4] State police spokesperson DSP Peter Aondongu confirmed the attack and said four persons were killed by suspected bandits with investigations ongoing. [4]

Medical and Security Response Issues

Injured victims faced treatment delays due to a doctors’ strike at General Hospital Gbajimba. [1] Residents called on the federal and Benue State governments to deploy more security personnel to the area and halt the recurring attacks on farming communities. [1] Efforts to obtain the reaction of the Benue State Police Command were unsuccessful as calls placed to the Police Public Relations Officer Peter Aondongu were not answered as of the time of filing reports. [1] The PDP governorship candidate Michael Aondoakaa expressed concern over reports that injured victims experienced delays in receiving medical treatment because of the ongoing strike by doctors in the state and urged the government to ensure emergency healthcare arrangements for victims of violent attacks. [5] The Guma LGA chairman urged residents to remain calm, cooperate with security agencies, and continue to provide credible information that would assist efforts to tackle insecurity in the area. [4]

Military personnel arrest suspects after attack on security operatives in Plateau State. — Source: premiumtimes

Recent Violence Across Benue

The Benue killings follow earlier July attacks that killed at least 15 in Otukpo LGA, three in Ohimini LGA, and eight in separate Otukpo incidents, occurring days after the new Inspector-General of Police visited and pledged intensified operations. [1] PREMIUM TIMES reported on 29 July that at least 15 people were killed after suspected armed herders attacked the Efeyi community in the Ugboju District of the Otukpo Local Government Area, barely a day after another attack claimed one life in nearby Ipom-Ugboju. [1] Earlier on 27 July suspected armed herders killed three people and injured two others in separate attacks on Elulu and Agadagba communities in Ohimini Local Government Area, two days after the Inspector-General of Police Kayode Egbetokun’s successor Olatunji Disu visited Benue and pledged intensified security operations. [1] On 13 July the police confirmed that eight people comprising five adults and three children were killed in attacks on Akpachi and Otukpo-Nobi communities in Otukpo Local Government Area. [1] The recent wave of attacks followed the 26 June killing of the Benue Chairman of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria Risku Mohammed and his associate Yakubu Isah who were ambushed while returning from a peace meeting in Ohimini. [1] Although security agencies have not linked the incidents some residents have expressed fears that the attacks may be reprisals. [1] The PDP governorship candidate Michael Aondoakaa condemned the latest killings in Guma describing them as barbaric heartbreaking and yet another painful reminder of the worsening security situation in Benue State. [5] In a statement issued on Tuesday by his media aide James Ian Mr Aondoakaa said recurring attacks had forced many farmers off their ancestral lands and threatened the state’s agricultural economy. [5]

Arrests Following Plateau Ambush

In Plateau State troops arrested 19 suspects comprising 14 indigenes and five Fulani in Tongoron Riyom LGA during a clearance operation after an ambush on a joint security patrol that killed a police inspector and a Nigerian Air Force lance corporal and stole their rifles. [2] The arrests were made on Tuesday during a clearance operation in the community according to security analyst Zagazola Makama who cited intelligence sources familiar with the operation. [2] The operation was conducted at about 1:30 p.m. following the ambush on a joint security patrol along the Ganawuri-Sabon Gida Road. [2] Troops raided Tongoron where they arrested 19 suspects for profiling and further investigation. [2] Military authorities were quoted as saying that the suspects were undergoing profiling to determine whether they have any links to the ambush or other criminal activities in the area. [2] The operation forms part of ongoing clearance and cordon-and-search operations aimed at identifying those responsible for the attack recovering stolen weapons and preventing further security breaches in Riyom Local Government Area. [2] The ambush on the joint security patrol left the bodies of a police inspector and a lance corporal of the Nigerian Air Force recovered with their service rifles reported stolen. [2] Following the incident security agencies launched extensive cordon-and-search operations across surrounding communities to track down the attackers and recover the stolen weapons. [2]

{IMAGE_3}

Militant Attack in Sokoto State

In Sokoto State suspected Lakurawa militants killed a police officer an elderly resident and a young herder in Girkau Kebbe LGA injured others rustled cattle and burned two security vehicles. [3] The attack which occurred on Monday also saw the assailants set ablaze two security vehicles belonging to the Nigeria Police Force and the Sokoto State Community Guard Corps. [3] Among those reportedly killed were a police officer identified as Hussaini Manyu an elderly resident Bala Wakili and a young herder who was allegedly shot dead after refusing to surrender his cattle to the attackers. [3] A farmer sustained gunshot injuries while working on his farmland and is currently receiving treatment at a medical facility. [3] A community leader described the incident as one of the worst attacks recorded in the area in recent months and said the attackers burnt security vehicles and took away many cattle. [3] Another resident said the community had repeatedly alerted security agencies to suspicious movements around the area before the attack. [3] Confirming the incident the spokesman for the Sokoto State Police Command DSP Ahmed Rufai said the command received a distress call and swiftly deployed operatives to the community where they engaged the attackers in a gun battle and successfully repelled them. [3] Rufai confirmed that one police officer was killed in the line of duty while two security vehicles were destroyed during the attack. [3] The police command has intensified security operations in the area and reaffirmed its commitment to protecting lives and property. [3]

Broader Pattern of Insecurity

The incidents form part of the Nigeria conflict with ongoing violence in Plateau and Benue prior killings abductions and resident appeals for sustained operations. [1] [2] [3] The latest operation in Plateau comes amid persistent violence in Riyom and other parts of Plateau State. [2] PREMIUM TIMES recently reported that gunmen killed former Rim Ward councillor Daniel Danjuma Chong popularly known as Hon. Star during a late-night attack on Torok community in Riyom Local Government Area. [2] The newspaper also reported the killing of nine members of a family including a two-month-old baby in attacks on Kum and Wereng-Camp communities in Riyom. [2] Earlier six people were killed in separate attacks on communities in Riyom and Barkin Ladi local government areas. [2] In another incident troops of Operation Enduring Peace rescued seven travellers abducted along the Riyom-Abuja highway after engaging suspected kidnappers in a gun battle. [2] The recurring attacks have continued to raise concerns among residents and community leaders who have repeatedly called for sustained intelligence-led operations and stronger security measures across vulnerable communities in Plateau State. [2] Residents in Sokoto appealed to the Federal Government and the Sokoto State Government to reinforce security operations across Kebbe and neighbouring local government areas to prevent further attacks. [3] The PDP governorship candidate in Benue appealed to the state government to appreciate that the protection of lives and property remains its foremost constitutional responsibility. [5]

What to watch next: Security agencies in Benue Plateau and Sokoto are continuing investigations and clearance operations while residents in affected areas have called for more personnel and emergency medical arrangements amid the ongoing doctors’ strike.