Bandits launch deadly ambush, kill 2 security personnel in Benue
Terrorists have ambushed and killed two security personnel, a soldier and a senior officer of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Udeku community, Kwande Local Government Area of Benue State.
According to reports, the fatal attack occurred on Saturday evening when the security operatives reportedly ran into a deadly ambush along a community road while returning from Aga Market, where they had gone to refill cooking gas.
Local residents said the incident happened at about 5:00pm when the assailants allegedly blocked the road, trapping the officers before opening fire on them at close range.
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The location of the attack has drawn particular concern, as it was the same area where five farmers were killed only a few days earlier while harvesting yams and Bambara nuts on their farms, underscoring what residents describe as a growing pattern of violent assaults in the community.
A former Supervisory Councillor in Kwande Local Government Area, Mr Akerigba Lawrence, confirmed the incident and said the attackers had previously laid siege to several parts of the area, forcing residents to flee their homes.
“On Saturday, January 10, 2026, at about 4:26 p.m., another tragedy struck Turan in Kwande LGA when security officers stationed at Anwase were killed at Udeku—the same location where armed herders killed five people just four days earlier,” Lawrence said.
He alleged that the attackers arrived in large numbers, burning houses, destroying farmlands, and crippling local livelihoods.
According to him, one of the soldiers attached to the unit reportedly escaped the ambush and later alerted security authorities at a police station in Jato-Aka.
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Lawrence further lamented the deteriorating humanitarian situation, warning that displaced residents were facing serious health and safety risks.
“Jato-Aka town, which is currently hosting displaced persons from about five council wards, is no longer safe. Fear has taken over, and many families are fleeing without knowing where to go,” he said.
Efforts to obtain official confirmation from military authorities in the state, including Operation Whirl Stroke, were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report.
However, multiple security sources disclosed that the deceased soldier was an officer of the Nigerian Air Force attached to the joint task force.
Confirming the incident, the Police Public Relations Officer of the Benue State Police Command, DSP Udeme Edet, said two security operatives were killed during the ambush.
“Yes, the command can confirm that two security personnel were attacked and killed at about 5:50 p.m. on Saturday in Kwande Local Government Area,” Edet stated.
In a separate statement, the Public Relations Officer of the NSCDC in Benue State, Michael Ejelikwu, also confirmed the death of one of its officers.
“Yes, I can confirm that at about 3:00pm on Saturday, January 10, 2026, armed attackers ambushed three security personnel attached to Operation Whirl Stroke, killing two of them,” Ejelikwu said.
He identified the slain NSCDC officer as Chief Corps Assistant (CCA) Tijani Idris, with service number 76691, from the Kaduna State Command, who was seconded to the Operation Whirl Stroke Joint Task Force in Benue State.
“The unfortunate incident occurred at Udeku, Maav-ya, Mbakyor Council Ward of Kwande LGA. While this loss is excruciating, it highlights the risks associated with our calling. The NSCDC remains resolute and committed to confronting insecurity in all its forms,” he added.
Ejelikwu extended the Corps’ condolences to the family of the deceased officer, describing him as a dedicated operative who paid the ultimate price in the line of duty.
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