Eight people have been killed and five others injured after armed men stormed Otukpo Nobi, a community in Otukpo Local Government Area of Benue State, shortly after the burial of an elderly resident, Adaje Okoh.
According to the Benue State Police Command, the attackers struck in the early hours, not long after mourners had concluded wake and burial rites for the octogenarian. A distress call alerted security operatives that gunmen had invaded the community and opened fire on residents.
Police spokesperson DSP Udeme Edet said the assailants shot indiscriminately, leaving eight people dead at the scene and several others with varying degrees of injuries. In addition to the casualties, some thatched houses and a motorcycle were reportedly set ablaze, deepening panic among villagers.
On receiving the report, Commissioner of Police Cletus Nwadiogbu led tactical teams and other operatives to Otukpo Nobi in a bid to restore order and prevent further violence. The injured victims were evacuated to a medical facility in Otukpo for treatment, while the bodies of those killed were deposited at the Federal University of Health Sciences Teaching Hospital, Otukpo.
The Police Command has launched an investigation to identify and track down the perpetrators. Edet said additional tactical and operational assets have been deployed to the affected community and other vulnerable locations in the area to forestall reprisals and any further breakdown of law and order.
Security presence around Otukpo Nobi was further reinforced after some aggrieved youths staged a protest over the killings, raising fears of possible escalation. Police authorities appealed to residents to remain calm and avoid taking the law into their own hands, urging them instead to provide credible information that could aid the investigation.
Commissioner Nwadiogbu condemned the attack and extended condolences to the bereaved families, assuring the wider Otukpo community that measures were being taken to protect lives and property. He encouraged residents to continue their lawful activities, insisting that security agencies were working to prevent a recurrence.
Meanwhile, the Benue State chapter of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria has publicly distanced its members from the attack, amid speculation over those responsible for the assault on the community.
