OTUKPO, Nigeria – Gunmen attacked the Otobi community in Akpa district of Otukpo Local Government Area (LGA), Benue State, on Tuesday, April 15, 2025, leaving an unconfirmed number of victims dead and many others fleeing the area in fear.
The attack, which took place around 5:30 pm, has sparked further concerns over the growing insecurity in the region.
Sewuese Anene, the Benue State Police spokesperson, confirmed the incident, stating that she had received an early morning report about the attack.
She mentioned that officers were promptly dispatched to the community, but, as of her last update, no detailed reports had been received from the security personnel who were still at the scene.
“There was a call from the Otobi community, and officers were dispatched there. But the officers who were sent are still there and they haven’t sent a report,” Anene said.
The attack on Otobi adds to the escalating violence that has plagued several local government areas (LGAs) in Benue State in recent months.
Just days before, on Thursday, April 10, 2025, unidentified gunmen killed at least three individuals in Mbasombo, Gwer East LGA.
This follows a deadly assault on March 10 in Katsina Ala LGA, where 13 people, including women and children, were killed in an attack attributed to suspected herdsmen.
The gunmen involved in that incident also targeted multiple communities within the LGA, including Utange, Kpav, Dikpo, and Imande Gberihwa.
Earlier this month, concerned residents of Otukpo took to the streets to protest the increasing violence in the state.
During the demonstration, which saw mostly youths occupying the Otukpo-Enugu federal highway, protesters demanded urgent government action to curb the rising number of kidnappings and killings in the area.
The protest highlighted the growing frustration among the people of Benue, who are grappling with a spate of violent crimes that have left many feeling unsafe in their own homes.
