Terror returned to Udei community in Benue State on Sunday as suspected armed herders launched another wave of attacks, killing at least four Mobile Policemen and leaving residents of surrounding areas in panic.
The assault, which began around 11:00 a.m., spread rapidly across parts of Guma Local Government Area, just 15 minutes from Yelewata, the site of a recent massacre that left over 200 dead earlier this month.
According to community sources, the attackers stormed Asha community, firing sporadically and chasing farmers off their lands. The violence quickly escalated toward Ortese, a settlement sheltering thousands of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), before security forces intervened.
“They began pursuing people from their farms in Asha and pushed into Ortese,” said Mr. Matthew Mnyan, a local leader and former acting Chairman of Benue SUBEB.
“Soldiers responded with armoured trucks and engaged them in a shootout that lasted nearly an hour.”
Despite the heavy response, the armed herders mounted a coordinated assault on Udei by 2:00 p.m., where four Mobile Policemen were reportedly killed during a fierce exchange of gunfire.
Tensions further escalated when the attackers re-emerged in Ortese later in the evening, prompting urgent calls from residents and IDPs for increased military presence.
“Even now, they’re around Ortese again. People are living in fear,” Mnyan said.
“The Area Commander told me he’s mobilised reinforcements to Udei, but as night falls, the anxiety is growing.”
Residents of nearby Daudu also faced threats, but a combined team of security personnel and local youth vigilantes successfully repelled the attackers there.
As of press time, Benue State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Udeme Edet, had not responded to inquiries. Calls and text messages were left unanswered.
This latest attack follows closely on the heels of the June 14 massacre in Yelewata, where over 200 people were killed and hundreds more displaced. Community leaders now warn of a growing pattern of systematic violence and ethnic cleansing in the region.
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