Benue State has been plagued by recurring violent attacks, kidnappings, and killings, often attributed to armed herdsmen, leaving residents in a state of fear and insecurity.
Fresh violence has rocked Otobi community in Otukpo Local Government Area of Benue State, leaving a former House of Assembly candidate, Igbabe Ochi, and four other residents dead following an early-morning attack by suspected bandits.
Ochi, who contested the Otukpo-Akpa State Constituency seat on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) during the 2019 general election, was among those killed when the attackers stormed the community.
In a related incident, suspected kidnappers, said to be searching for food for their captives, also attacked a provision shop in Otobi-Akpa around 1:30am, killing four people and carting away food items and other valuables.
The Special Adviser to Governor Hyacinth Alia on Internal Security, Chief Joseph Har, confirmed the incident, stating that four persons were killed at the shop during the raid.
Har said security operatives were swiftly mobilised to forestall further violence.
According to him, police officers and personnel of the Civil Protection Guards were immediately deployed to the area after the attackers fled into a nearby forest when locals raised the alarm.
Those killed were identified as Hon. Ochi Ugbabe, Achibi Onah, Eje Eba and Sunday Iruja. It was also gathered that four residents had earlier been kidnapped and were yet to regain their freedom as of the time of filing this report.
A resident of Otobi, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the latest attack occurred around 1:30am on Tuesday and followed a failed kidnap attempt on Sunday night at Ekwu-Ora’Odaba in the same community.
The source explained that the earlier kidnap attempt was foiled by community volunteer guards led by their commander, Ocheme Jackson, which had placed the entire area on high alert.
According to the resident, Otobi has increasingly become a target for suspected bandits, especially after the killing of 13 people on April 15, 2025, and another attack in May last year that claimed three lives.
Recounting the latest incident, the informant said, “When the surveillance team from the railway crossing into Ijami part of Otobi pulled back to rest, at about 1.30am, the gunmen stormed the community and started shooting, killing five persons in the process and looted foodstuff and other valuables.”
Reacting to the killings, the President of the Otobi Community Development Association, John Anyebe, said the attackers accessed the community through the railway station bridge from the Ijami axis of Otobi.
He explained that the gunmen headed straight to where some of the victims were seated, not far from the transformer junction.
Anyebe lamented the repeated bloodshed in the community, recalling that 13 people were killed on April 15, 2025, barely two weeks after three others were murdered at the Omebe axis of Otobi.
Confirming the latest tragedy, he said, “We can confirm that an incident occurred earlier today at Otobi-Akpa. Tragically, four individuals have lost their lives. Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with the family and loved ones affected by this incident.”
Also reacting, the member representing Otukpo-Akpa State Constituency in the Benue State House of Assembly, Mr. Kennedy Angbo, expressed concern over the unrelenting attacks in the area.
Angbo disclosed that on Sunday, travellers aboard a Benue Links bus were attacked at a location known as Burnt Bricks, Otukpo, leaving three persons hospitalised.
Residents have continued to call on the government and security agencies to intensify efforts to protect lives and property, as fear and tension grip the community.
