By Amos Aar
FOUR mobile police officers were killed on Sunday night in Udei, a community in Guma LGA of Benue State in an reported attack by alleged herdsmen.
The attackers, multiple sources in the area claim, also carted away the officers’ rifles.
Udei Community is located near Yelwata in Guma LGA where over 200 people were killed on June 13.
A resident, Mr. Andy Nomsor, expressed concern that Udei, which according to him has a significantly larger population than Yelwata, is vulnerable to greater devastation if a major attack is launched. “If the Fulani herdsmen succeed in launching a full-scale attack here, the Yelwata massacre will pale in comparison,” he warned.
Nomsor added that despite repeated threats and insecurity in the area, security forces on ground continue to discourage any form of community self-defence. “The conventional security forces deployed to the area are issuing stern warnings against any form of self-defence, despite their apparent inability to protect the community. At this point, our only hope is in God,” he said.
Another resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity, narrated the sequence of events leading to the deaths of the police officers. According to him, residents had earlier warned the police about a possible ambush, but their concerns were reportedly dismissed.
“The police deployed to Udei warned locals not to take matters into their own hands, saying there were no armed herdsmen in the area. But the locals insisted that the attackers were planning something. Eventually, the community youths backed off and allowed the police to handle the situation. The officers fired a warning shot into the air, but the attackers responded instantly, killing four officers on the spot,” the resident said.
Several community members have now faulted what they described as the failure of security agencies to act on credible intelligence. One of them disclosed that as early as June 22, residents had sent a warning to the Department of State Services (DSS) about the movement of suspected armed herders. He claimed that about 50 armed herders were seen moving weapons disguised under cattle herds through Ome, Akaba, and Akanga in Obi LGA, heading toward the Yelwata-Udei axis and expected to cross through the Kadarko railway route.
The alert, according to him, was sent to the security agencies with an urgent call for intervention in Udei and Yelwata. He expressed dismay that despite the early warning, no preventive action was taken.
“We informed the DSS about their camping locations, their route, and their mission as early as June 22. I am worried that despite this detailed intel, the attackers were still able to strike successfully just a week later. If the Chief of Defence Staff is serious about tackling insecurity, credible intelligence such as the report dated June 22 should be treated with urgency,” he stated.
The resident further alleged that the ongoing attacks on Tiv communities in Guma and other boundary areas of Benue may be politically and ethnically motivated. He accused ethnic groups from the southern zone of Nasarawa State, particularly the Alago and Kwandara, of supporting the violence over disputed land.
“This is no longer just a communal clash; it’s turning into a war between two states. The Benue State Government should urgently engage with its Nasarawa counterpart. Since November 2024, Lakurawa bandits have camped around the Keana, Obi, Doma, and Awe [boundaries] and are being shielded by some traditional rulers and police operatives in Nasarawa,” he alleged.
