Four Mobile Policemen, eight residents killed in Benue attack
Suspected armed herdsmen attacked Ayilamo, a farming community in the Tombola Ward of the Logo Local Government Area in Benue State, resulting in the deaths of four Mobile Policemen and eight residents.
The incursion occurred along the Abinsi-Tyulen-Anyii-Wukari axis, an area that has faced frequent assaults from armed groups. Eyewitness Tyolumu Ugande reported that over 200 assailants entered Ayilamo from Alufu Road in Taraba State, firing indiscriminately and setting structures ablaze.
Authorities deployed a detachment of Mobile Policemen to the area, who confronted the armed assailants. Following several hours of gunfire, the bandits eventually retreated. However, the bodies of four fallen Mobile Policemen were subsequently found in the bush on Friday morning, alongside the eight deceased residents.
UGande stated, “We also discovered eight bodies of residents of Ayilamo who were killed by the bandits.”
The incident was confirmed by the Secretary of the Ayilamo Security Committee, who noted that the community had urgently requested additional support from security agencies.
Local resident James Ugah emphasized that this marked the second incident in one month resulting in the deaths of Mobile Policemen in Ayilamo. “The bandits have been trying to set the whole Ayilamo ablaze for more than two years now. We called on security personnel, as well as the Benue State and federal governments, to help secure our land and lives,” he said.
Ugah further indicated that ongoing attacks may be linked to rumors of significant mineral deposits in and around Ayilamo.
Efforts to obtain a comment from Benue State Police Command spokesperson DSP Orchia Aondogwu were unsuccessful at the time of this report.
