Benue: Suspected herders kill retired warrant officer, two others

From Scholastica Hir, Makurdi

Gunmen masquerading as herdsmen have killed a retired warrant officer in Asa 2, Otukpo Local Government Area (LGA) of Benue State.

This is just as two other people were said to have been killed on the Otobi–Akpa road when herdsmen opened fire on them on Sunday, 11 January 2026.

Our correspondent also gathered that the gunmen abducted a woman and a child in another attack in the area on Monday.

Residents said the retired warrant officer was killed on Sunday, while his corpse was recovered on Monday.

A resident, who did not want to be named for fear of victimisation, told our correspondent that the armed invaders had been targeting and trailing the ex-soldier, alleging he was preventing them from carrying out their heinous activities.

The resident said the spate of attacks has thrown Otukpo into a state of panic, with residents now living in fear, especially at night.

The Chairman of Otukpo LGA, Maxwell Ogiri, confirmed the incidents, describing them as unfortunate.

Mr Ogiri said the culprits are gun-wielding bandits that entered their community after the Christmas celebration.

He told our correspondent that, “The general opinion in the security circle is that the attacks on them from the North East and part of Middle Belt have pushed some of them to begin to look for a safer haven and they decided to have our place to stay and in a situation like this they would be looking for survival.

“So they are trying to get people for ransom and see how they can forcefully fill their plates with food and drinks.”

He noted that the early Tuesday morning attack, in which four persons lost their lives, was because the bandits wanted to get enough food to eat and get some other things.

He said, “They made away with cash, cooked and raw food after killing the four men before the local vigilante came and they ran away.”

He also recalled that, “Throughout the Christmas period it was a peaceful moment for us and now we entered the new year with this kind of dastardly act.”

The chairman, however, stated that the situation is calm as all the security agencies responded swiftly, adding that the government is reinforcing security further. He expressed belief that, in a little while, the culprits would be apprehended and normalcy and confidence restored to the lives of the people.

The Police PRO in Benue, DSP Udeme Edet, was not reachable while filing this report.