Tragedy struck once again in Benue State on Tuesday evening as suspected herdsmen launched a deadly attack on Otobi community in Akpa district, Otukpo Local Government Area. The attack, which began around 5:30 p.m., left at least seven people dead, several others wounded, and many homes razed.
According to eyewitness accounts from members of a local security response team, the attackers stormed the village without warning, targeting residents and setting homes ablaze. The team, still combing the area for survivors and injured persons, confirmed the death toll and reported that many residents had fled into surrounding bushes for safety.
“This is the third attack on Otobi this April alone,” said Kennedy Angbo, the lawmaker representing Otukpo-Akpa Constituency in the Benue State House of Assembly. “Right now, many people are feared dead, and hundreds have fled the community. The scale of this violence is deeply alarming.”
Local Government Chairman of Otukpo, Maxwell Ogiri, who is currently in Abuja attending to post-election matters, also confirmed the incident during a phone interview. He described the attack as “devastating” and called on security agencies to act swiftly.
At the time of this report, the Benue State Police Command had yet to state the incident.
This latest violence in Otukpo adds to a growing list of attacks in Nigeria’s North Central region. In neighbouring Plateau State, over 100 lives have been lost in the past two weeks alone following a wave of brutal assaults on communities in Bokkos and Bassa Local Government Areas.
As tension continues to mount and communities remain under siege, calls for decisive security intervention are growing louder. Residents in Otobi and surrounding villages are now living in fear, unsure of when the violence will end.
In March 2025, a 14-year-old secondary school student, Nicknes Ayo, reportedly died by suicide in Egba, Agatu Local Government Area of Benue State, after facing pressure from her mother to disclose the identity of the man responsible for her pregnancy.
Sources say Ayo, who had been schooling in Otukpo, returned home on Thursday, where her mother noticed signs of pregnancy. When questioned, Ayo initially refused to reveal any details but was met with increased pressure and threats of being taken to a clinic for confirmation.
According to a neighbour, Mama Enyi, the young girl fled after a heated exchange with her mother. “Unable to bear the pressure, she ran away and was later found unconscious in her room after ingesting a substance suspected to be Gammalin,” she said.
Ayo was rushed to a nearby health facility, known as ‘Ghana Clinic,’ where the medical director, Dr. Oyaje Sule, confirmed her critical condition. “She was brought to my clinic on Saturday morning after allegedly ingesting Gammalin due to pregnancy-related pressure. I referred her to a hospital in Obagaji, but sadly, she died on the way,” Dr. Sule explained.
The teenager, who had lost her father a few years ago, has since been buried by her family. Efforts to reach local government chairman Melvin James and state police spokesperson Catherine Anene were unsuccessful at the time of filing this report.
