Suspected bandits have attacked Anwase village in Kwande Local Government Area of Benue State, burning at least 11 houses before being repelled by security operatives.

The spokesperson for the Benue State Police Command, DSP Udeme Edet, confirmed the incident, explaining that officers on patrol engaged the attackers and forced them to retreat. Edet said the swift response of the security team prevented loss of life, though residents reported that several people sustained injuries while fleeing the assault.

Local sources said the gunmen stormed Anwase around midday, shooting sporadically and setting homes ablaze as villagers ran for safety. By the time the attackers withdrew, large sections of the settlement had been reduced to ashes, leaving families displaced and in urgent need of shelter.

A former councillor in Kwande Local Government, Lawrence Akerigbe, who visited the community after the incident, described scenes of devastation. He said the presence of security operatives already deployed to nearby Abande community, which recently suffered a deadly attack, proved decisive in averting a larger tragedy.

According to Akerigbe, the patrol team encountered the bandits as they were still within the area. Once the gunmen sighted the security personnel, they reportedly fled into surrounding bushland, abandoning the assault.

Anwase lies close to Abande, where armed men earlier launched an attack that left several people dead, including a mobile police officer. Residents say the latest incident has deepened fear across Kwande, a local government area that has endured repeated raids on farming communities.

Community leaders report that dozens of people have been killed in the past two years in a pattern of violence that has displaced many households and disrupted livelihoods. Anwase itself has previously come under attack, with villagers still mourning earlier losses and struggling to rebuild.

Local stakeholders are calling for a sustained security presence and more proactive measures to protect rural settlements, warning that intermittent patrols are not enough to deter well-armed criminal groups operating in the area.

For now, families in Anwase are counting their losses, salvaging what they can from the charred remains of their homes and hoping that the latest attack will finally trigger stronger action to secure their community.