A former ward chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, James Akase, and three others have been killed in separate attacks by armed invaders in Gwer West and Guma Local Government Areas of Benue State.
The attacks, which occurred on Monday, left several others injured, according to eyewitness accounts.
The victims were reportedly attacked in their respective communities in what locals described as coordinated strikes by armed assailants on rural settlements.
In Gwer West, Akase, who hailed from Tse-Defam in the Mba’akov Vengav area of Avihijime Council Ward, was reportedly killed while attempting to return to his abandoned home to retrieve food for his displaced family.
Sources said the community had previously been overrun by invaders, forcing residents to flee.
Chairman of Gwer West LGA, Victor Ormin, confirmed Akase’s death in a phone interview, revealing that another resident was abducted the same day but later released after family members paid a ransom.
In a separate attack in Guma LGA, three individuals were killed in two villages.
The victims were identified as Bartholomew Ikornya, who was shot dead in Tse Ikpe Ago, located along the Yogbo-Gyungu Aze road in Mbayer/Yandev Council Ward, and Gabriel Korlaga and one Kunde, both killed in Tse Kologa, Mbagune, under the Nyiev Council Ward.
Local sources said the attacks caused panic and displacement in the affected communities, with survivors receiving treatment at various hospitals.
Efforts to reach the Benue State Police Command for official confirmation were unsuccessful, as the Police Public Relations Officer, CSP Catherine Anene, did not respond to calls as of the time of filing this report.
