Gunmen Kill Monarch, Wife, Son in Benue Night Attack; Five Confirmed Dead in Agatu Community

Gunmen have killed five people, including a traditional ruler, his wife, son, and two other residents, in a late-night attack on Olegabulu community in Agatu Local Government Area of Benue State.

The attack occurred on Thursday night when armed assailants stormed the community around 8pm, targeting the residence of the traditional ruler.

A local source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the attackers arrived on two motorcycles with four persons onboard. According to the source, they initially interacted with residents in the local dialect, which prevented suspicion.

“The assailants were not Fulani because, at the time they alighted from their motorcycles, they exchanged pleasantries with people around in our dialect. Nobody suspected they were enemies,” the source said.

However, shortly after entering the monarch’s residence, they opened fire, killing the traditional ruler and two members of his family instantly. The source added that the attackers operated for nearly 20 minutes.

“After attacking the traditional ruler’s residence, they moved to the next house and killed two people. One other person sustained injuries before they fled,” the source added.

The Chairman of Agatu Local Government Area, Melvin Ejeh, confirmed the incident on Friday, stating that five people were killed while one person sustained injuries. He also said security operatives had visited the scene.

“It’s true the incident happened. Five people were killed and one person injured during the attack,” Ejeh said.

Meanwhile, the Benue State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Udeme Edet, said the command was yet to receive an official report on the incident.


Elijah Adeyemi