Gunmen Launch Fresh Attack on Otobi Community in Benue, Residents Flee Amid Growing Insecurity

Fear and panic gripped the Otobi community in the Akpa district of Otukpo Local Government Area on Tuesday evening, as gunmen stormed the area around 5:30 p.m., opening fire on residents in a deadly raid.

Although the exact number of casualties remains unconfirmed, eyewitnesses say several people may have been killed, with many others fleeing their homes in search of safety.

Confirming the incident in a statement to TheCable, Sewuese Anene, spokesperson for the Benue State Police Command, said the force had received a distress call from the community and immediately deployed officers to the scene.

“I woke up to the situation report. Officers have been sent there, but they’re still on the ground and yet to send back full details,” Anene said.

This latest violence marks a disturbing trend of escalating attacks across Benue State, where communities have been increasingly targeted by armed groups.

In Plateau State, suspected Fulani herders targeted Zike, a predominantly Christian farming community, killing at least 40 people, including children and the elderly. Gunmen looted and burned homes, with the death toll possibly exceeding 50. President Bola Tinubu has condemned the violence and called for an investigation.

Meanwhile, Benue State has suffered multiple deadly assaults in recent weeks. In the Ayati community, militias killed over 40 residents. Attacks in Azege, Anyiin, and Eguma have claimed dozens of lives, with many more injured or displaced. On Christmas Day, Nyiev-ya saw 11 people killed during celebrations.

In Borno State, a roadside bombing killed eight people along the Damboa-Maiduguri highway, attributed to Islamic extremists.

Despite heightened security measures, these persistent attacks are raising serious concerns about the effectiveness of current strategies to address the ongoing violence and insecurity in Nigeria’s Middle Belt. Calls for urgent reforms to address the root causes of the crisis are growing louder.

Just last week, three people were killed in Mbasombo, a community in Gwer East LGA, in yet another attack by unidentified gunmen. On March 10, a gruesome assault in Katsina Ala LGA claimed the lives of thirteen people, including women and children. That attack affected several communities, including Utange council, Kpav, Dikpo, and Imande Gberihwa.

Frustration is mounting among residents, many of whom feel abandoned by authorities. Earlier this month, youths in Otukpo took to the streets in protest, blocking the Otukpo-Enugu federal highway to demand urgent government intervention over the worsening insecurity in the region.