BREAKING: Tension In Benue, Residents Flee, Many Feared Killed, Kidnapped As Gunmen Raid Community
Not less than five persons have been confirmed dead following an attack by suspected armed herdsmen on Ortese community in Guma Local Government Area of Benue State.
The attack occurred on Tuesday along the Igyungu Aze–Yogbo Road, leaving several others injured, while an unspecified number of residents were reportedly abducted.
Local sources, according to Vanguard, identified three of the victims as Solo Uchi, Alhaji Iorlaha, and Tersoo Uker. Residents fear the death toll may rise as youths in the community continue to search surrounding bushes for people still missing after the attack.
A community member described the incident as horrifying, noting that many villagers remain unaccounted for.
“What we have seen so far is frightening. They attacked us on Tuesday, just two days after a similar attack on Daudu where two persons were killed,” the source said. “So far, five bodies have been recovered, but we believe more may still be found because several people are still missing.”
Among those killed was Tersoo Uker, an Internally Displaced Person (IDP) who had gone behind the Igyungu Aze IDP camp to gather grass for roofing materials. Uker, like many displaced residents, was trying to construct a temporary shelter due to severe overcrowding in the camp.
Residents said the attackers carried out a coordinated ambush by barricading the Ortese–Yogbo road and targeting commuters as well as people working in nearby bushes.
“They blocked the road and opened fire immediately,” a local youth leader said. “Some people were killed on the spot, while others were chased as they ran into the bushes.”
The reported abduction of several residents has heightened fear in the area, leading to a mass displacement of people fleeing the Ortese community over safety concerns.
