Bandits kill, injure, abduct farmers in Benue

By Abiodun OBA

In a renewed attack, bandits have killed two farmers, injured two and abducted another displaced from their ancestral homes in the Umogidi community in the Entekpa Council ward in Otukpo Local Government Area of Benue State.

Locals who spoke on condition of anonymity said the deceased recently fled their homes due to a similar attack but decided to go to their farms in Umogidi when they were killed on Tuesday.

The other three were also said to be in their farms when the bandits attacked them and took away one of them while the other two were reported to have been injured.

One of the locals who spoke to journalists on the phone on Thursday said, “They (bandits) are now demanding N5 million as ransom for the kidnapped victim.

“All of these victims are IDPs who went to get food in their farms and were attacked by the same armed herders who chased them away from home in the first place.”

Confirming the incident in a telephone chat with journalists on Thursday, the caretaker chairman of Otukpo LGA, Alfred Omakwu, said the victims were IDPs who went to farm on Tuesday but were attacked.

He added that the bandits again attacked another village, Upu, in Otukpo on  Wednesday but were repelled by soldiers who engaged them in a gun battle from afternoon until 7pm.

Omakwu said, “The IDPs are camped in St. Charles Primary School, while most of them as they are going to their farms to fetch farm produce, rented one room for their family  to stay in Adoka central.

“They (victims) left Adoka where they were taking refuge and went to their farms at Umogidi when they were attacked. Two of them were killed.

“Yesterday (Wednesday), there was another attack in Upu village. They (armed invaders) opened gunfire in the village, the soldiers were there, so they engaged them and chased them to the bush. They exchanged gunfire till 7 pm, and they (armed invaders) ran away. There was no casualty.”

Efforts to get the reaction of the state command’s spokesperson, Catherine Anene, were not successful as her phone did not connect.