Suspected armed herdsmen have k!lled five persons in Otobi, a community in Otukpo Local Government Area of Benue State.
Among those k!lled was Igbabe Ochi, a former House of Assembly candidate for the Otukpo-Akpa State Constituency on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party during the 2019 general election.
The attack occurred at about 1.30 a.m. on Tuesday, January 13, 2025 following a failed kidnap attempt in the community on Sunday night.
Local sources said the earlier incident had put residents on high alert, with community volunteers and youths conducting patrols through the night.
A resident said that the attackers struck shortly after the patrol teams withdrew around midnight.
“At about 1.30 a.m., gunmen suspected to be herdsmen stormed the community and started shooting. They k!lled five people and looted foodstuff and other valuables,” the source said
The President of the Otobi Community Development Association, John Anyebe, confirmed the attack CHANNELS TV, saying the assailants entered the community through the railway station bridge from the Ijami area.
“Yes, the attack was carried out by suspected herdsmen who have been terrorising our community,” Mr Anyebe said.
“They first shot one person close to the water board before heading to where Hon. Igbabe Ochi and four others were seated near the transformer junction. They opened fire on them and later looted nearby stores for food and other valuables,” he added.
Mr Anyebe recalled that Otobi had suffered repeated attacks in the past year, including an incident on 15 April 2025 when 13 persons were k!lled
He said two weeks later, three more residents were k!lled at the Omebe axis of the community.
