Eight more bodies of police personnel have been recovered in Katsina-Ala Local Government Area of Benue State following a deadly attack on a joint security patrol by armed invaders at Agu Centre, on the border of Katsina-Ala and Ukum local government areas.

The incident occurred on Friday when a team of security operatives encountered armed invaders, leaving an initial three personnel confirmed dead and eight others missing.

Our correspondent reports that the team comprised personnel of Operation Zenda, in conjunction with the Benue State Civil Protection Guard (BSCPG) and the Special Intervention Squad (SIS).

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Earlier, three personnel – two from the police and another from BSCPG – were reported killed in the encounter, while eight policemen were reported missing.

However, the Chairman of Katsina-Ala LGA, Dr Justine Shaku, on Monday confirmed to journalists in Makurdi on the telephone that the bodies of the eight missing officers were recovered on Sunday night.

“This brings the number of officers killed to 11 (10 policemen and one BSCPG),” Shaku said.

He added that the Benue State Police Commissioner, CP Ifeanyi Emenari, was on ground to coordinate operations.

“The atmosphere is still tense and unfriendly, but we are on top of the situation,” he noted.

Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in the State, DSP Udeme Edet, confirmed that the eight bodies have been recovered.

Also, the Commander of the BSCPG, Capt. Ayuma Ajobi (rtd), in a telephone conversation with our correspondent on Monday evening, said he lost one operative and two motorcycles to the attack.

APC chieftain shot dead in Benue

A prominent chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Ejeh Udeh, has been shot dead by yet-to-be-known assassins at his house in Ondo village of Ugboju District in Otukpo Local Government Area of Benue State.

Our correspondent gathered that the attack happened about midnight on Sunday.

Witnesses said the assailants, who rode on motorcycles, ambushed him as he entered his compound and shot him multiple times at close range.

“They surrounded him and shot him at close range. His body has since been deposited at the morgue in Otukpo,” a resident said.

The residents described Udeh as a brother of a former Otukpo local government chairman, a respected figure in Idoma politics whose killing has thrown Ugboju and the entire Otukpo community into mourning.

A resident identified as Simon noted that the entire Ogobia remained quiet, with residents remaining in their respective houses.

“Some of us attempted to go to the farm this (Monday) morning, but we were chased back home over the death of this man,” Simon said.

Chairman of Otukpo LGA, Maxwell Ogiri, confirmed the incident to journalists in Makurdi, saying the deceased was killed at his home in Ogobia–Ugboju community about 11pm on Sunday.

“Yes, Hon. Ejeh Ude was murdered. We don’t know the reasons for his murder, whether remote or immediate. But we can only say that his murderers were determined; they followed him to his house after he came back from a hangout with some friends and associates. He entered his house alone, parked his car and went to his house, and they began to fire from a distance, got closer to him and then finished him off.

“I went to the scene in the company of the DSS boss and other heads of security agencies, and they promised to expand their dragnet to ensure the arrest of the perpetrators. But the gruesome murder of Ejeh has cast a dark shadow in our community because he is a well-known figure, a community leader, an opinion moulder and also a chieftain of the APC in Otukpo LGA,” Ogiri narrated.

As at the time of filing this report, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) for Benue Command, DSP Udeme Edet, said she had yet to get the report of the incident

Gunmen kidnap pastor’s wife, member in Nasarawa

Gunmen suspected to be kidnappers on Sunday night took Mrs Patience Nasamu, wife of Pastor Samuel Nasamu and a female member of his church to an unknown destination at Agyaragu in Obi Local Government Area of Nasarawa State.

Nasamu, a pastor of Word of God Church Agyaragu, who narrated the tragedy, lamented that his wife, who is breastfeeding a three-month-old baby, was abducted alongside a member of his church who came to visit his family after a church service.

“I barely left my wife and our visitor with our newborn baby at home to pray for one of my members who is sick when my wife placed a call to me, and all I could hear was her voice of prayer. She could not even tell me what was happening.

“I stopped the prayers, and when I got to the house, my wife and a member had been abducted, leaving my three-month-old baby behind,” he narrated.

Nasamu explained that the gunmen came straight to his apartment and made efforts to break the doors and windows using a hammer, and when they could not succeed, they started shooting sporadically, forcing his wife to open the door. In an attempt to run out, she was abducted alongside a member of the church.

According to Nasamu, at about 7pm some strange faces were seen on motorcycles and shortly after, sounds of gunfire were heard.

The cleric disclosed that he had not heard anything from the abductors since the incident that happened at about 8.15pm on Sunday.

He also admitted that the police came after the incident and called for calm as efforts are ongoing to apprehend the perpetrators.

District head, 2 women kidnapped in Plateau

The District Head of Birbyang, Alhaji Zubairu Usman Garba, and two women were kidnapped by gunmen on Sunday night in Kanam Local Government Area of Plateau State.

The gunmen, who stormed the community, shooting sporadically, abducted the wife of the District Head, but she later escaped from captivity.

Daily Trust reports that the latest incident occurred a week after the Ward Head of the Shuwaka community in Kyaram District of Kanam Local Government Area was kidnapped and killed.

ND Shehu Kanam, Secretary of Kanam Development Association (KADA), confirmed the latest incident to journalists in Jos, stating that the kidnappers attacked the community around 1am.

The Secretary condemned the incident and urged security agencies to rescue the victims and restore peace in the region.

The statement, signed by Kanam and the Chairman, Barrister Garba Aliyu, blamed political office holders representing the area for failing to take adequate measures to address the incessant attacks in the LGA.

The community also called on Governor Caleb Mutfwang and security agencies to address security threats in the region.

Our correspondent reports that kidnapping and banditry have become widespread in the area, with many reportedly abducted for ransom and others killed.

Spokesperson of the state police command, DSP Alabo Alfred, did not respond to inquiries regarding the incident.