Early this morning, it was reported that three suspected herdsmen have been arrested following the attacks that led to the killing of 11 persons at Otobi community in Otupko local government by suspected herdsmen.
Suspected herdsmen have reportedly intensified violent attacks in Nigeria, with at least three communities in the Otukpo Local Government Area (LGA) of Benue State targeted on Wednesday. The affected communities include Emichi, Odudaje, and Okpamaju, all in Otukpo, where five individuals were killed in February. These communities were attacked simultaneously, just a day after the killing of 11 people in Otobi Community, also in Otukpo LGA.
Local sources confirm that several individuals are feared dead following the new attacks. Otukpo LGA Chairman, Maxwell Ogiri, confirmed the attacks on the three communities, stating that the attackers stormed the areas while the Commissioner of Police was at the Ochidoma Palace regarding the previous day’s attack on Otobi. He added that three people sustained injuries in the attacks, causing women and children to flee the communities in fear. “Only young men were in the communities when the attackers arrived.
The prompt response from combined security operatives made the attackers flee and none of them were arrested,” Ogiri stated. As of the time of this report, police spokesperson in the state, Sewuese Anene, has not confirmed details of the attacks on the three communities.
Arrests Made So Far
Later on, three suspected herdsmen have been arrested following the attacks that resulted in the deaths of the 11 people in Otobi community. Governor Hyacinth Alia disclosed this on Wednesday during a press briefing at the Government House in Makurdi.
He expressed concern over the situation and urged security agencies to apprehend the perpetrators. According to Alia, National Security Advisor, Nuhu Ribadu, has pledged to deploy additional security assets to the State to address the renewed wave of attacks, particularly in the Otukpo area. The governor has also announced the deployment of security personnel to the affected region. Kennedy Angbo, representing Otukpo-Akpa Constituency in the Benue State House of Assembly, reported that nine bodies were recovered on Tuesday night, followed by another in a difficult-to-access area later that evening. By dawn on Wednesday, additional corpses were discovered, bringing the total number of fatalities to 11.
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