Benue community under siege as suspected herdsmen kill two, rustle nearly 50 cattle

By Johnson Arua

Suspected armed herdsmen have reportedly killed a ranch owner and a member of a local vigilante group during an overnight attack on Okpafie community in Oyilawu, Okonobo Ward of Okpokwu Local Government Area of Benue State, carting away nearly 50 cattle.

The attackers, said to be about 12 in number and armed with AK-47 rifles, allegedly invaded the community at about 1 a.m. on Thursday, shot dead the ranch owner before driving his herd out of the settlement.

A resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the gunmen struck while many youths in the community were at a viewing centre watching a football match.

According to the source, "The armed herdsmen entered the village around 1 a.m. when many of the youths were at a viewing centre watching the ongoing World Cup match.

"They attacked the home of Benjamin, who owned a ranch, killed him and then led away his cattle. The sound of gunfire attracted the youths and members of the vigilante group, who mobilised to confront the attackers.

"As the criminals were escaping with the cattle, they opened fire on the vigilantes, killing one of them before fleeing towards neighbouring communities. Security volunteers are still searching for the rustlers and the stolen cattle."

Confirming the incident, Chairman of Okpokwu Local Government Area, Adah Inalegwu, said the assailants had made previous attempts to attack the same ranch but were unsuccessful.

He said, "Some cattle rustlers invaded Okpafie village in Okonobo Council Ward at about 1 a.m. They were about 12 in number and all carried AK-47 rifles.

"The owner of the cattle was asleep when they came. They had tried to attack him on several occasions in the past, but he resisted them. This time, they killed him first before gaining access to the ranch and taking the cows."

Inalegwu explained that local residents alerted vigilante operatives, who intercepted the fleeing suspects around the Okpoga/Ai-Dogodo axis, leading to a gun battle.

"Our people quickly contacted the vigilantes, who engaged the rustlers in a shootout. Two persons sustained gunshot injuries during the exchange, and one later died.

"Security personnel, including the police and the military, are currently trailing the suspects in the bush, and we are hopeful they will be apprehended."

The council chairman said additional security measures were being put in place to prevent similar attacks.

"We are working to establish a standby security force because such a structure would have enabled us to respond faster and possibly stop the attack. We are determined to ensure this does not happen again."

He maintained that the attackers were not indigenes of the area.

"They are outsiders. They are Fulani herdsmen. This is the third time they have carried out this kind of operation.

"In an earlier incident, we arrested one of the rustlers, whose confession led to the arrest of two others. They are currently in the custody of the State Criminal Investigation Department and have admitted to being involved in cattle rustling.

"Our investigations indicate that the gang operates through the border communities linking Ado and Okpokwu local government areas with Ebonyi State. Intelligence we gathered traced them to Ezza-Igbo in Ebonyi State."

As of the time of filing this report, the Benue State Police Command had yet to comment on the incident, as the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Udeme Edet, could not be reached for a response.