By Attah Ede, Makurdi

At least 18 persons have been killed and scores injured following fresh attacks by suspected armed herdsmen on Akpachi and Otukpo-Nobi communities in Otukpo Local Government Area of Benue State, sparking widespread outrage, protests, and renewed calls for decisive action against the perpetrators.

The attacks began on Saturday when gunmen invaded Akpachi village in Ugboju Council Ward, killing two farmers and injuring several others.

In the early hours of Sunday, the assailants struck again, this time attacking sleeping residents of Otukpo-Nobi between 3:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m., leaving at least 16 people dead, including women and children, while many others sustained injuries.

Although local authorities initially confirmed 10 deaths, residents and youth leaders later said additional bodies recovered from the affected communities had pushed the death toll to at least 18, with fears that more casualties could still be discovered.

The attacks triggered angry protests in Otukpo as youths carried the corpses of some victims to the palace of the Och’Idoma, His Royal Majesty Agabaidu Elaigwu John Odogbo, to register their anger over the worsening insecurity in Idoma land.

The protesters also barricaded major roads leading into Otukpo town, demanding urgent intervention by the Federal and Benue State governments to halt the recurring killings.

Residents believe the latest attacks may have been reprisals linked to the June 26 killing of the Benue State Chairman of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), Ardo Risku Mohammed, and his associate, Yakubu Isah, who were murdered while returning from a peace meeting in Ohimini Local Government Area. Police had earlier announced the arrest of 17 suspects, including some traditional rulers, in connection with the incident.

Confirming the attacks, Chairman of Otukpo Local Government Area, Prince Maxwell Ogiri, said the violence began with the killing of two farmers in Akpachi before the gunmen launched a larger assault on Otukpo-Nobi.

He said the council was working to relocate survivors to safer locations, provide emergency support for victims, and strengthen security across the area while appealing to youths to remain calm and avoid taking the law into their own hands.

The renewed violence also forced residents of neighbouring communities, including Emichi, to flee their homes, while panic reportedly disrupted activities around the Federal University of Health Sciences, Otukpo.

Reacting to the killings, Governor Hyacinth Alia condemned the attacks, describing them as barbaric, inhuman and a direct assault on the peace and security of Benue State.

In a statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Tersoo Kula, the governor lamented that the attacks occurred despite ongoing collaboration between the government, traditional rulers and security agencies to restore lasting peace across the state.

Alia directed security agencies to immediately intensify surveillance and patrols in the affected communities and border areas, work with security operatives in neighbouring states, and ensure that the perpetrators are tracked down, arrested and prosecuted.

He assured residents that his administration would not allow Benue communities to become “killing fields,” urging citizens to support security agencies with credible and timely intelligence.

Also condemning the attacks, Deputy Governor Dr Sam Ode described the killings as barbaric, inhuman and unacceptable. He disclosed that Governor Alia, who is currently outside the state on official assignment, had been fully briefed and had directed all heads of security agencies to move to Otukpo immediately to coordinate security operations and restore order.

Ode appealed to residents to remain peaceful, vigilant and law-abiding while cooperating with security agencies to bring those responsible to justice.

Similarly, Senator Abba Moro, representing Benue South Senatorial District and Senate Minority Leader, expressed concern over the escalating attacks, warning that continued killings could provoke a major crisis if urgent action was not taken.

He urged governments at all levels and security agencies to guarantee the safety of lives and property in the affected communities.

The senator also condemned the recent ambush and abduction of mourners transporting the remains of Deputy Corps Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps, Augustine Ikwue, in neighbouring Kogi State, calling for the immediate rescue of those kidnapped.

As of press time, security had been reinforced in the affected communities, but tension remained high as residents mourned the victims and demanded lasting solutions to the recurring violence in Benue State.

By David Torough, Abuja

President Bola Tinubu on Thursday convened an emergency security meeting with the nation’s top military commanders, intelligence chiefs and security advisers amid renewed efforts to contain terrorism, banditry and kidnapping across the country.

The closed-door meeting, held at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, lasted more than two hours and brought together the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu; Minister of Defence, Mohammed Badaru; Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa; Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Olufemi Oluyede; Chief of Defence Intelligence, Lieutenant General Emmanuel Undiandeye; Director-General of the Department of State Services, Adeola Ajayi; Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency, Mohammed Mohammed; Inspector-General of Police, Olatunde Disu; and the President’s Special Adviser on Homeland Security, Major General Adeyinka Famadewa (retd.

), among other senior security officials.

Although details of the meeting were not disclosed as of press time, sources said it focused on reviewing the country’s security situation and ongoing military operations across various theatres.

The meeting came as security forces recorded fresh operational gains against terrorists and bandits in the North-West and North-East.

In Katsina State, troops of the Nigerian Army, in collaboration with other security agencies, killed eight suspected terrorists during an ambush in Bakori Local Government Area after receiving intelligence that gunmen loyal to notorious bandit leader Idi Abasu Aiki were planning attacks on commuters along the Kakumi-Guga Road.

The troops recovered two AK-47 rifles and five motorcycles used by the suspects, while security forces have intensified patrols around vulnerable communities to forestall retaliatory attacks.

The latest success followed earlier military operations in Zamfara and Katsina States in which troops of Operation FANSAN YAMMA, supported by the Nigerian Air Force, disrupted a major terrorist movement involving about 300 armed fighters on motorcycles through precision airstrikes.

Security forces also eliminated a notorious bandit commander, Alhaji Tukur, during separate operations, while troops of Operation Hadin Kai recently repelled another attack on a military base in Borno State.

Against the backdrop of the renewed security offensive, Zamfara State Governor Dauda Lawal renewed his call for the establishment of state police, arguing that governors cannot be held accountable for insecurity without operational control over security agencies.

Speaking at the ARISE News/THISDAY Town Hall Conference in Abuja, Lawal disclosed that he refused to pay a N300 million ransom when his brothers were abducted in 2019.

“My brothers were kidnapped and the kidnappers demanded N300 million. I told them I would not pay a kobo. If they wanted to kill them, they should go ahead,” he said.

According to the governor, his brothers were eventually released after spending three months in captivity without any ransom being paid.

Lawal insisted that paying ransom only fuels further kidnappings and maintained that he would never negotiate with criminal groups.

He also said Zamfara had invested heavily in supporting security operations by providing hundreds of operational vehicles, armoured personnel carriers, mine-resistant vehicles and surveillance and attack drones to security agencies.

The governor argued that decentralising policing would improve accountability and enable states to respond more effectively to local security challenges through better funding, training and operational control.

The Presidency had yet to issue an official statement on the outcome of Thursday’s security meeting at the time of filing this report.

The Chief of Defence Intelligence, Lt.-Gen. Emmanuel Undiandeye, says defence diplomacy remains a critical instrument for strengthening Nigeria’s security through international cooperation and strategic military partnerships.

Undiandeye said this while speaking with newsmen after the accreditation of foreign Defence Advisers and Attachés to Nigeria on Wednesday in Abuja.

He said Nigeria’s deployment of Defence Attachés abroad was guided by the principles of defence diplomacy, just as allied countries post their representatives to Nigeria.

According to him, Defence Advisers and Attachés represent the interests of their respective countries while promoting stronger bilateral and multilateral defence relations.

He said the officers also identified opportunities for acquiring technologies that enhance national security and strengthen military capabilities.

The CDI added that they facilitated military training, defence acquisitions and other areas of security cooperation between allied nations.

He said the engagements helped deepen mutual trust and strengthen international partnerships in addressing common security challenges.

Undiandeye said defence diplomacy also contributed to global peace and collective security while advancing the national interests of participating countries.

He stressed that defence diplomacy was far more than the exchange of military representatives among friendly nations.

According to him, it is a continuous process that strengthens cooperation, enhances collective security and contributes to safeguarding national and global interests.

The agency accredited five newly posted Defence Attaches from Ghana, Italy, Japan, Mali and the United Kingdom.