At least 17 people, including a senior Mobile Police officer, have been confirmed dead following a deadly attack on Abande settlement in Mbaikyor Ward, Turan, Kwande Local Government Area of Benue State.
A community leader, Lawrence Akerigba, said the assault was carried out by armed herders on Tuesday evening, leaving the area in grief and destruction. He added that eight persons sustained injuries during the incident, while the attackers also made away with seven motorcycles.
According to Akerigba, the attack occurred on a market day when traders and residents had gathered for commercial activities.
“Yesterday was Abande market day. People were buying and selling when the herders attacked. Shops were looted, more than ₦150 million was taken from traders, and the entire market was set ablaze,” he said.
By Tuesday night, personnel of the Mobile Police Force deployed in the area reportedly transported several bodies of victims to Jato Aka.
Those confirmed dead include Iornunbe Agba, Chia Kile, Terseer Shenge, Mker Ugbe, Emmanuel Agba, Ortswen Gbinde, and a Mobile Police officer who served as the unit commander at the time of the attack. Several other residents are still unaccounted for.
The incident highlights the worsening security situation in Turan and neighbouring communities, where residents say they live under constant threat of attacks.
Abande is located near Anwase, where more than 28 people were killed in a Christmas Day attack in 2024.
Akerigba lamented that since the beginning of the year, more than 76 people, including security personnel, have lost their lives in similar assaults. He accused both the state and federal governments of failing to effectively enforce the Anti-Open Grazing and Prohibition Law.
He alleged that armed attackers move freely with AK-47 rifles, destroying farms, economic trees and homes, while women and children are subjected to violence. He also noted the absence of government presence in the border communities near Cameroon.
He contrasted the situation with neighbouring Cameroon, where, according to him, authorities have constructed a road to Jonwater, the last village on the border, and stationed security forces there.
However, in a statement released on Wednesday, the Benue State Police Command confirmed the attack but reported a lower casualty figure.
The statement, signed by the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Udeme Edet, said suspected armed bandits attacked police personnel and residents of Abande community at about 5:30 p.m. on February 3.
During the confrontation, one Assistant Superintendent of Police attached to the 13 Police Mobile Force, Makurdi, was fatally injured alongside four community members.
The Commissioner of Police, CP Ifeanyi Emenari, has ordered the deployment of additional Mobile Force personnel and Armoured Personnel Carriers to Jato Aka to coordinate operations, track down the attackers and ensure their arrest.
The command expressed condolences to the families of the victims and assured the public that steps were being taken to restore peace and bring the perpetrators to justice.
