Benue Crisis: APC Councillorship Aspirant, Four Others Killed in Herdsmen Attack
An All Progressives Congress (APC) Councillorship aspirant, Amedu Agaba, and four others were reportedly killed on Wednesday night as violence escalated between armed herdsmen and locals in Okpomaju village, Okete Ward, Otukpo Local Government Area (LGA) of Benue State.
Several others sustained injuries, while about 10 people have been declared missing in the community.
The crisis initially erupted earlier in the week when suspected armed herdsmen allegedly mistook local hunters for enemies and attacked them, resulting in the deaths of three people.
In an attempt to resolve the conflict, the Och’Otukpo Odu, Chief John Eimonye, convened a peace meeting between the Fulani and Okpomaju community leaders. However, despite agreeing to a truce, the violence intensified on Wednesday night when armed herdsmen allegedly stormed the village, firing indiscriminately and destroying houses, food barns, and farmlands.
A local source revealed that the renewed attacks forced residents of Okpomaju and neighboring communities—including Odudaje, Amla, Emichi, Otukpo-Icho, and Otada, home to the Federal University of Health Sciences, Otukpo—to flee their homes.
"The attack was unprovoked," the source said. "The hunters were in the village when about 12 armed herdsmen arrived with sophisticated weapons, shooting indiscriminately. In the process, they killed one Peter, popularly known as JPG, and another man named Moses, while others fled in different directions with gunshot wounds."
He further disclosed, "Among the victims was an APC member and Councillorship aspirant in the last October local government election, Mr. Amedu Agaba. So far, we have recovered five bodies, including one found near Odudaje stream. The search for more bodies is ongoing.
"As I speak, we are at the graveside burying one of the victims while awaiting the arrival of the others from the mortuary."
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