91
By Andrew Haruna
In one other grim chapter of Nigeria’s escalating safety challenges, suspected Fulani herdsmen launched lethal assaults on rural communities in Benue State, killing at the least 17 individuals and injuring a number of others.
The tragic incidents occurred on Wednesday evening in Ukum and Brand Native Authorities Areas—areas already recognized for persistent farmer-herder clashes.
In response to an official assertion by SP Sewuese Anene, spokesperson for the Benue State Police Command, 5 individuals have been killed in Gbagir, Ukum LGA, whereas a coordinated assault in Brand claimed a further twelve lives. A number of others sustained important accidents and are presently receiving emergency medical remedy in native well being services.
“On April 17, 2025, at about 9:00 PM, intelligence reviews indicated that armed militia suspected to be Fulani herdsmen had invaded the Sankera axis of Benue State, concentrating on communities round Gbagir in Ukum Native Authorities,” Anene mentioned.
Responding swiftly to the intelligence, the Benue State Commissioner of Police, CP Steve Yabanet, deployed tactical models and mobilized joint operations with different state safety forces to repel the assailants. Regardless of intervention efforts, the attackers fired indiscriminately at native farmers, inflicting widespread casualties.
“5 victims have been recovered from the Gbagir space and brought to the hospital the place they have been confirmed useless,” she added. “A parallel assault in Brand LGA led to the demise of 12 extra civilians earlier than safety reinforcements may arrive.”
The Nigerian Police Power confirmed that safety forces are nonetheless participating the armed assailants, believed to be retreating into the dense forests bordering Taraba State. The Joint Activity Power, in collaboration with the Benue State Vigilante Group, is constant its counter-insurgency operations within the area.
SP Anene additionally appealed to the general public and social media customers to chorus from spreading false or unverified data, warning that such actions may exacerbate public panic and undermine nationwide safety efforts.
She reaffirmed the state authorities’s dedication to rural safety, urging residents of the Sankera geopolitical zone to cooperate absolutely with ongoing navy and police operations.
Publish Views: 106
