Palpable fear gripped residents of Udei Community in Guma local government area of Benue State following the killing of four police officers while repelling an attack on the community by armed herdsmen on Sunday.
Our correspondent gathered that the terrorists who attempted a simultaneous attacks on Daudu, Tse Ashongu, Tse Asha communities but were resisted ended up killing four mobile police officers at Tse Abough in Udei Community.
A source in the area who craved anonymity told our correspondent on phone, that the rampaging herders attempted invading the Ortese Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camp but were engaged by the combined team of security personnel stationed in the area.
“I think the herders constantly hearing about the return of the IDPs to their ancestral homes are targeting the camps now. This time around, it’s the Ortese Camp which is hosting thousands of IDPs. If not the quick intervention of the military personnel and other sucurity agencies stationed in the area who engaged the marauders in the bush and halted their move into Ortese camp, the world would have stood still for this one,” the source said.
A youth in the area who simply identified himself as Kaase, said the herders in their first attempt, tried to invade Daudu but the security personnel engaged them and left for Tse Ashongu and Asha but the community members who were on alert flee before their arrival.
According to him, “The marauding herders on their way to attack Ortese Internally Displaced Persons camp started shooting to scare the IDPs before their arrival, but the combined team of Army and other security personnel engaged them in a gun battle and they flee to Udei Town which is a stone throw to Yelwata, the recently attacked community where over 200 persons were killed.”
He added that at Udei, the terrorists started shooting sporadically to scare residents and were again engaged in a gun battle with the Mobile Police Officers stationed there, but in the process, four of the officers were killes while the assailants carted away with their arms and ammunitions.
The Udei attacks is coming 16 days after a similar attack on Yelewata Community where several persons were injured and undergoing treatment in hospitals, while over 4,000 survivors displaced are currently taking refuge at the Makurdi International Market.
Efforts to get the reaction from the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) Udeme Edet, did not yield result as she was neither picking her calls nor replying to text messages sent to her.
