Armed herdsmen kill 4 in Benue community

Renewed violence has once again gripped Benue State as suspected armed herdsmen launched a deadly assault on Akpete village in Apa Local Government Area, killing at least four people and leaving several others injured.

According to eyewitness accounts, the attack occurred between 4:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. on Friday. The assailants, reportedly arriving on motorcycles and on foot, ambushed the community from multiple directions and opened fire indiscriminately. The sudden assault caught residents off guard, despite earlier warnings about a possible attack in the area.

“We had intelligence that they were coming, and our youths tried to prepare, but we were outnumbered. They surrounded us from all sides,” a resident said.

The ambush, which plunged the community into chaos, saw terrified villagers fleeing for safety as bullets rained through the quiet rural settlement.

Confirming the incident, Chairman of Apa Local Government, Adams Adah Ochega, stated that security personnel had been deployed to the area to restore calm and prevent further attacks.

This latest assault adds to the growing list of violent incidents in Benue, a state that has long borne the brunt of Nigeria’s herder-farmer conflict. Locals continue to call for urgent federal intervention to secure rural communities and ensure lasting peace.

“The army responded swiftly, but the attackers had already escaped. I was asked to send vehicles to transport the injured to the hospital,” he said.

Efforts to confirm the incident from the Spokesperson of Benue State Police Command was not successful as she could not be reached on mobile telephone.