By Emmy Joe
UDEH IJACHI, a former caretaker chairperson of Otukpo LGA has been killed by unknown gunmen in a night attack in Otukpo Benue State on Thursday, March 5, 2026.
The former chairperson, popularly known as ‘Ukpem’, was reportedly ambushed and killed around 9:30pm at a hotel premises where he lodged in Otukpo Town.
Confirming the incident, the incumbent chairperson of Otukpo LGA, Maxwell Ogiri, told journalists in Makurdi over the phone that the incident occurred yesterday where Ukpem lodged in a hotel he did not name.
Ogiri called for thorough investigation into the matter to bring the perpetrators of the barbaric act to face the full weight of the law, adding that the deceased’s younger brother was killed last year in such a brazen manner.
“Yes, I got the news. It happened yesterday evening. He (the deceased) was at the premises of the hotel where he lodged. He stepped out of his room when the attackers moved close to him and started shooting. They fired three shots and left immediately.
“It was not very late, so many people were still around. The attackers fired gunshots to disperse the crowd, mounted their motorcycle and fled.
“I cannot say whether he had issues with anyone, but a similar incident happened to his younger brother last year. The brazen manner in which he was killed is shocking, painful and unacceptable. This is the position of the council. We pray and urge security agencies to unravel the circumstances surrounding the killing so that such incidents do not happen again,” Ogiri said.
A resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the killing might be linked to unresolved issues in the deceased’s Ondo Village in Ugboju-Otukpo LGA.
“I gathered he was trailed from his village yesterday. The man had not been going to the village for a long time, but people said he travelled there on Thursday. It is possible the assailants followed him to Otukpo town and killed him,” the source said
When contacted for comment, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), SP Udeme Edet, told journalists in Makurdi that she would provide a response later.
The gruesome murder of Ukpem happened barely five months after his younger brother, Ejeh Udeh, an All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain, was reportedly murdered in a similar manner in September 2025
