Armed bandits on Sunday launched another deadly assault on Benue State, killing at least four Mobile Police officers in Udei community, Guma Local Government Area.

The attack, which began around 11 a.m., first targeted Asha community where the assailants fired sporadically, forcing farmers to flee. The violence quickly spread towards Ortese, a settlement housing thousands of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).

Witnesses said the intervention of military personnel, who deployed armoured vehicles and engaged the attackers in the bush for over an hour, prevented the bandits from overrunning Ortese.

“They started pursuing people from their farms at Asha and it escalated to Ortese,” said Matthew Mnyan, a community leader and former acting chairman of the Benue State Universal Basic Education Board. “Soldiers engaged them with two armoured trucks, pushing them back into the bush. But they later advanced towards Dudu, near Daudu.”

Around 2 p.m., in what appeared to be a coordinated operation, the bandits struck Udei, where four Mobile Policemen lost their lives in a fierce gun battle.

Mnyan, who was in touch with security authorities, said: “When I got the information, I called the Divisional Police Officer who moved in with his men. Sadly, four policemen were killed. The bandits even reappeared at Ortese later in the evening. People are terrified, including the IDPs who are pleading for more security.”

This latest assault comes just over two weeks after a massacre in nearby Yelewata community left more than 200 people dead, dozens injured, and hundreds displaced.

Efforts to reach Benue State Police spokesperson, Udeme Edet, for comments were unsuccessful, as calls and text messages went unanswered.

With reports from Vanguard