Suspected herdsmen on Monday ambushed a joint security patrol team in Benue State resulting in serious injuries and the disappearance of three officers of Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps.
Benue Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Edet Edeme, a DSP said, the incident occurred around 2:19pm along the Daudu–Uikohol Expressway in Guma Local Government Area.
The patrol team, which included operatives from the Police Mobile Force (13 PMF, 58 PMF), State Intelligence Services (SIS), Operation Zenda, Counter-Terrorism Unit (CTU), Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Benue State Civil Protection Guards and local vigilante groups, was conducting a routine operation when they spotted burning houses approximately two kilometres from the Makurdi- Lafia federal highway .
Upon advancing to assess the situation, the team was ambushed by the armed attackers, believed to be herdsmen setting fire on huts in the village.
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During the encounter, Police Inspector Ochepo Benjamin (AP/No. 266789) and an NSCDC officer sustained gunshot wounds and were evacuated to the Benue State University Teaching Hospital, Makurdi where they are receiving treatment.
Another Police Inspector, Muhammed Abdullahi (AP/No. 196271) and two NSCDC officers went missing during the attack.
A coordinated search operation is ongoing to locate the missing personnel.
The latest attack adds to the growing list of violent incidents in the state linked to suspected armed herdsmen, particularly in the Guma axis.
