Two police inspectors and four civilians have been killed after bandits stormed Tse-Kaseve village in Anyagba Ward, Katsina-Ala Local Government Area of Benue State.
The attack, which occurred at about 4pm on Monday, reportedly saw scores of gunmen riding on nearly 100 motorcycles invade the community in a coordinated assault.
Security sources told Zagazola Makama, a security expert, that the attackers attempted to overrun the village market and unleash a massacre on residents before they were confronted by security operatives.
“Eleven Police Mobile Force (PMF) personnel on special duty in the town, working with members of the Benue State Civil Protection Guard, confronted and repelled the attackers,” the sources said.
However, the situation turned deadly when the bandits allegedly ambushed two officers — Inspector Adams Saidu and Inspector Edem Endimon, both of 11 PMF, Calabar — shooting them dead and carting away their service rifles.
The sources further disclosed that four civilians were killed during the assault, while another resident sustained injuries and was rushed to Katsina-Ala Hospital for treatment.
In response to the killings, troops of the Nigerian Army, alongside additional tactical teams, other security agencies and vigilante groups, have reportedly been deployed to the area to prevent further attacks.
“Bush combing is ongoing to track the suspects and effect arrests,” the sources added.
The latest bloodshed underscores the worsening insecurity in parts of Benue State and northern states in the country.
On Tuesday night, SaharaReporters reported how fresh violence erupted in Taraba State as armed terrorists launched renewed attacks on Tiv communities in Takum Local Government Area, with residents reporting ongoing killings and the recovery of multiple corpses.
A resident who spoke to SaharaReporters in distress said the attacks were still underway as of the time of filing this report.
“Killings are ongoing now in the Tiv community in Takum LGA. It is a serious killing. Dozens of people died and about six corpses have been recovered as I speak to you,” the resident said.
Another source accused the state government of indifference, describing the attacks as targeted and deliberate.
“People are mounting at Takum Local Government. The governor doesn’t care. It’s targeted genocide. Only the media can help these people,” the source added.
Pictures obtained by SaharaReporters show victims of the attacks lying lifeless, underscoring the scale of the violence sweeping through the communities.
The latest assault comes amid sustained attacks on Tiv Christian settlements in Chanchanji district of Takum LGA, where residents have repeatedly accused the Taraba State Government and security agencies of abandoning them to armed assailants.
As earlier reported by SaharaReporters, more than 100 people were killed within one month in coordinated attacks on Tiv communities, with survivors forced to flee as their homes, farmlands and churches were taken over or destroyed.
A community elder and official of the Northern Christians Religious Leaders Assembly (NOCRELA), Rev. Dr. Amb. Micah Philip Dopah, had earlier lamented the government’s failure to act despite repeated appeals.
“The issue has been on for long. But government is not doing anything. People are being killed daily without any helps. We have written several pleas to the government but no response,” Dopah said.
Another elder told SaharaReporters that the violence, which began about two years ago, had escalated sharply in recent weeks, leaving entire communities displaced and livelihoods destroyed.
NOCRELA has described the attacks as coordinated and targeted, disclosing that at least 102 people were killed within 33 days in multiple assaults on Tiv settlements in Chanchanji district.
The group accused suspected Fulani militia of carrying out the attacks and faulted security agencies for failing to intervene despite repeated distress calls and warnings.
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