Suspected terrorists have reportedly perpetrated a series of attacks resulting in casualties in the communities of Ochumekwu and Udedeku within the Apa and Kwande Local Government areas of Benue State.
In these incidents, a soldier was killed, another soldier injured, two farmers lost their lives, and several others sustained injuries.
These assaults targeted military personnel who were part of Operation Whirl Stroke (OPWS), a military spike operation aimed at curbing the activities of armed herdsmen and bandits terrorizing the locals.
The soldiers came under attack while conducting patrols in the affected communities.
In addition to these tragic events, two more individuals were killed, and numerous others were wounded during a raid on Udedeku community in Maav-Ya, Mkoonmom district of Mbaikyor Council Ward, Turan Jato-Aka in the Kwande local government area.
According to reports from a local source, the armed herdsmen, who had already seized control of five Council Wards in Turan and three Wards in Ikyurav Ya, invaded Udedeku community and ambushed the victims, resulting in fatalities.
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He said, “Apart from the two persons they killed like animals, as you can see from the pictures, several other persons also sustained injuries in the attack.
“At the moment all the five council wards in Turan and the three in Ikyurav Ya, in Kwande East are occupied by the herdsmen.
“The people have fled their homes to seek refuge elsewhere for fear of being killed by the well-armed herdsmen.”
Confirming the assault on his troops, Major General Sunday Igbinomwanhia, the Force Commander of OPWS, stated that three of the attackers were also neutralized in the operation, with multiple arms seized.
He said: “The suspected armed herdsmen attacked the soldiers deployed in Ochumekwu, Apa LGA. They killed one personnel, and wounded one.
“The troops, in response, killed three and injured several of them. They recovered one AK-47 rifle and rounds of ammunition from them.”
On the incident in Kwande council, he said: “OPWS is currently carrying out a clearance operation to flush out suspected armed foreign herders who have invaded the LGA.”
