No fewer than 18 people have been killed in coordinated attacks by suspected gunmen on farming communities in Otukpo Local Government Area of Benue State, with several others injured and many residents forced to flee their homes.

The attacks, which occurred between Friday and the early hours of Sunday, targeted Akpachi village in the Ugboju community and Otukpo-Nobi community, according to Security Analyst Zagazola Makama.

The violence began on Friday when armed men reportedly invaded farmlands in Akpachi village, killing two farmers while a third victim escaped and alerted members of the community.

Search teams later recovered the bodies on Saturday, and the victims were buried shortly afterwards.

However, in what residents described as a renewed assault, the attackers allegedly returned at about 4:00 a.m. on Sunday and stormed Otukpo-Nobi community, opening fire indiscriminately on residents while they slept.

At least 16 people were reportedly killed during the attack, while several others sustained gunshot wounds.

Local volunteers and security personnel were said to have continued search operations in nearby bushes for missing persons, raising fears that the death toll could increase.
The attacks have thrown communities across Otukpo into mourning, with many residents abandoning their homes over fears of further violence.

The latest killings came barely two weeks after the murder of the Benue State Chairman of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), Ardo Risku Mohammed, and his associate, Yakubu Isah.
The two men were reportedly ambushed and killed at Okutu community while returning from a peace meeting in Idekpa, Ohimini Local Government Area.

Authorities are investigating whether the latest attacks were carried out in retaliation for the earlier killings.

The fresh violence triggered protests across Otukpo on Sunday as hundreds of youths took to the streets, carrying the bodies of some of the victims to the palace of the Och’Idoma during a church service to demand urgent government intervention.
The protesters accused the government and security agencies of failing to protect farming communities from recurring attacks.

The demonstration spread across Otukpo town, with protesters barricading major roads and causing severe traffic disruptions that left commuters stranded for several hours.
Businesses were temporarily shut as security operatives monitored the situation to prevent a breakdown of law and order.

One of the protesters, identified as Ebi Adoyi, said many families had been devastated by the attacks and warned that the casualty figure could rise as search efforts continued in nearby forests.

Chairman of Otukpo Local Government Area, Maxwell Ogiri, confirmed both attacks and said preliminary findings suggested they might be linked to reprisals following the killing of the MACBAN chairman.

According to him, security personnel and local vigilantes had searched the surrounding bushes after Friday’s attack at Akpachi village, believing the attackers had fled the area.

He said the renewed assault on Otukpo-Nobi in the early hours of Sunday came as a surprise.

“The bandits came and killed two farmers on Friday. One escaped and alerted the community. We recovered the bodies on Saturday and buried them,” Ogiri said.

“After searching the surrounding bushes, we believed they had left the area, but around 4 a.m. on Sunday, we received distress calls that they had invaded Otukpo-Nobi, killing several people and injuring many others.”

Security agencies have yet to issue an official statement on the attacks as of the time of filing this report, while investigations into the incidents are ongoing.