Security Collapse? Suspected Herdsmen Overrun Patrol Team in Benue, Men Missing

According to NIVONEWS, a situation report from the Benue State Police Command confirmed that the ambush took place at about 2:19 p.m. on Monday along the Daudu–Uikohol Expressway in Guma Local Government Area. The joint patrol team, comprising operatives from the Police Mobile Force (13 PMF, 58 PMF), State Intelligence Services (SIS), Operation Zenda, the Counter-Terrorism Unit (CTU), Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Benue State Civil Protection Guards, and local vigilante groups, was on a routine operation when they noticed burning houses roughly two kilometres off the highway.

According to NIVONEWS, as the team advanced to assess the scene, they were ambushed by suspected armed herdsmen who were actively setting fire to huts within the village. The sudden attack led to a chaotic exchange of gunfire.

During the incident, a police inspector and an NSCDC officer sustained gunshot wounds and were promptly evacuated to the Benue State University Teaching Hospital in Makurdi for urgent medical care. However, another police inspector and two NSCDC officers were declared missing in the aftermath of the attack. A coordinated manhunt and search operation is currently underway to locate the missing security personnel.

According to NIVONEWS, this latest assault adds to the rising toll of violent attacks in Benue, particularly in the Guma axis, which has become a flashpoint for repeated clashes involving suspected armed herdsmen.

”NIVONEWS REPORTS”