At least seven villagers have been killed and several others wounded in a late-night attack on Channel One, a remote border community in the Ukemberagya/Tswarev Council Ward of Logo Local Government Area, Benue State.

Residents say the assailants, believed to be armed herders, stormed the settlement around 11pm, opening fire indiscriminately and sending families fleeing into nearby bushes and neighbouring villages.

Channel One lies along the Arufu–Wukari Road, close to the Benue–Taraba boundary, a corridor that has witnessed repeated clashes between farming communities and armed groups in recent years.

A resident, who identified himself simply as Amos, recounted that the attackers arrived on motorcycles in large numbers and began shooting without warning. According to him, the raid lasted long enough for the gunmen to move from one cluster of homes to another, targeting anyone in sight.

A community leader, Joseph Anawah, confirmed the incident and said the village woke up to scenes of devastation. He initially listed six of the dead as Akor Gwakyaa, Msooter Gwakyaa, Aondoungwa Michael, Vershima Michael, Terna Michael and Msughter Terzungwe, all described as farmers and household heads in the community.

Anawah added that several others sustained life-threatening injuries and were rushed to medical facilities in Anyiin, the headquarters of Logo LGA, while those in more critical condition were transferred to Ugba town for further treatment.

He alleged that the attackers are part of a larger armed group believed to be camped in Shaor, one of several deserted villages in Logo LGA repeatedly flagged in security reports as a base for marauders operating along the Benue–Taraba–Nasarawa axis.

Following the attack, residents of Channel One and neighbouring settlements have reportedly abandoned their homes, seeking refuge in safer communities for fear of renewed violence.

Anawah appealed to both state and federal authorities to launch sustained clearance operations to dislodge armed groups from Shaor and other identified hideouts. He further called for a joint inter-state security task force involving Benue, Nasarawa and Taraba states to monitor cross-border movements and seal off known routes used to launch attacks on rural communities.

The chairman of Logo LGA, Clement Kav, also confirmed the incident, stating that seven people were killed and four others injured. He said he had briefed the Commissioner of Police, Ifeanyi Emenari, as well as the Special Adviser on Homeland Security, and requested urgent deployment of security personnel to the area.