BREAKING: Gunmen kill police ASP, four others in fresh Benue attack
Police Confirm ASP Among Victims in Kwande Attack
Makurdi, Benue State — The Benue State Police Command has confirmed that an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) was among five individuals killed in a violent attack by gunmen in the Abande community of the Kwande Local Government Area.
The confirmation was issued Wednesday by Police Public Relations Officer DSP Edet Udeme. According to Udeme, the ASP, who was assigned to the 13 Police Mobile Force in Makurdi, was engaged in special duties in the community at the time of the incident.
The attack occurred on February 3, when the Divisional Police Officer in Jato-Aka received a distress report about armed bandits targeting police officers and local residents. The ASP sustained fatal injuries during the attack, alongside four civilian fatalities.
In response to the incident, security forces have deployed to the area to prevent further unrest. Udeme stated, “Following the incident, combined teams of police operatives and other security agencies have been mobilized to secure the community, conduct a thorough search, and forestall further breakdown of law and order.”
The remains of the deceased have been recovered and taken to the mortuary.
Commissioner of Police in Benue State, Mr. Ifeanyi Emenari, has directed the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of Operations to take immediate control of the situation in Jato-Aka. The Deputy Commissioner has been tasked with coordinating intensive operations, along with additional mobile force personnel and Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs), to track down the assailants and effect their arrest.
Udeme expressed condolences to the families of the deceased and the Abande Community, assuring the public that measures are being taken to bring the perpetrators to justice and to restore peace in the area.
