Bandits kill two soldiers, others in Benue ambush

Benue map

Suspected bandits have killed four people, including two soldiers, in an attack on Ijaha Ikobi, a community in the Apa Local Government Area of Benue State.

A resident of the area who identified himself simply as Adakole told our correspondent that the assailants, believed to be armed herders, invaded the community on Wednesday and laid an ambush.

“The incident happened around 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday when residents began to hear sporadic gunshots within the village,” he said.

“Some soldiers who responded to a distress call ran into the ambush laid by the Fulani herdsmen. Two of them were killed.”

Adakole gave the names of the two civilian victims as Ocheje Sani and Aduba Ogboyi.

He alleged that the attackers also carted away military weapons, including two AK-47 rifles and one submachine gun.

Confirming the incident, the Chairman of Apa Local Government Area, Adam Ogwola, told journalists via telephone on Thursday that the attack occurred in the early hours of Wednesday.“I received a call about an attack in Ikobi community. Initially, I couldn’t reach anyone there. Later, I got confirmation that two soldiers had been killed,” Ogwola said. Punch