Bandits Kill Four Police Officers, Seven Civilians in Benue Attack

Four policemen and seven civilians were killed in Benue during a seven-hour bandit attack, police said.

The attack, which has been recurring in the region due to farmer-herder conflicts and banditry, took place in an area which has been ravaged by multiple attacks.

Witnesses said they spent the night hearing gunshots after bandits raided the community with apparent knowledge of the terrain.

Security agencies say they were repositioned before pushing the attackers back but not before taking a toll on lives in the community.

Community leaders blamed the incessant attacks in the region on the inability of security agencies to sustain permanent presence in the rural communities.

Police spokesperson said names of those killed in the attack are being collated by police authorities.

In discussions held in the wake of the attacks, community leaders and traditional rulers raised concerns over the inability of security agencies to provide lasting security in the area.

With the death toll from the attack coming at a time when incessant attacks have led to multiple families living in fear, residents said their major worry remains that peace is not easily restored in the region.

Humanitarian organizations have in the past weeks raised alarms over the negative effect of the constant attacks on the farming activities in the region as the state supplies a large percentage of food to other states.

Family members of those killed in the attack are beginning the burial preparations as calls for increased security in the region mount.

While politicians in the state paid condolences to the families of the deceased and promised to ensure such attacks are brought to an end, residents find solace in the assurance that at least, nights are passing with less violence.

The seven-hour attack is also a concern as it raises questions over immediate response by security agencies with a permanent presence in the region.

Authorities are still investigating the routes used by the bandits as well as the exact sequence of events that led to the attack.

Benue residents have long stopped seeing attacks as isolated incidents as lives continue to be lost in successive attacks.