Gunmen suspected to be herdsmen are alleged to unleashed mayhem on the Ikobi-Ochekwu community in the Apa Local Government Area of Benue State late Wednesday night.
The assault resulted in the d3aths of multiple residents, including a recently married soldier.
A local resident, Ochofie told newsmen on Thursday that the assailants invaded the village at night firing at residents and igniting homes unhindered for several hours.
The precise casualty count is still unknown, as numerous individuals remain unaccounted for.
“In the early hours of Thursday, two more bodies were discovered in nearby Ijaha, identified as Sani Ngbede and Aduba Paul Ogboyi,” a source said.
However, the identities of other victims, including the slain soldiers who were said to have recently tied the knot, are yet to be officially confirmed by authorities.
Just recently, a soldier of the Nigerian Army, assigned to Operation Udoka, was killed by alleged members of the banned Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) in Anambra State.
The gallant soldier was murdered after leaving his post to participate in a gathering on Saturday, May 18, 2025, at the Forward Operating Base in Uli.
It was gathered that the individual attended the gathering, which was a strippers’ party named ‘Ladies’ Jamboree,’ while dressed in his military camouflage uniform.
A security source told The PUNCH revealed that the soldier was found to be missing during a tactical operation.
The source said, “It was during a tactical operation that it was discovered the soldier was missing. He was later found to have sneaked out of the base without permission to attend a strippers’ party at a nearby hotel, in uniform. It was there that he was accosted and fatally shot by suspected IPOB/ESN fighters. His lifeless body, along with that of a baby, was later recovered at the scene by troops.
“His weapon has been retrieved and is currently in military custody.”
Naija News reports that Operation Udoka is an initiative led by the Defence Headquarters.
According to the PUNCH, attempts to contact the Director of Defence Media Operations, Maj. Gen. Markus Kangye, were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report.
It is worth noting that the latest incident marks the most recent in a series of targeted assaults on security personnel in the South-East region, where the IPOB and ESN have been alleged to conduct violent operations against state forces.
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