By Charles Pemu 
BENUE STATE — At least four Mobile Policemen were feared killed on Sunday during a deadly attack by suspected armed herders on Udei community in Guma Local Government Area of Benue State.
The attack, which began around 11 a.m., also targeted Asha and Ortese communities, forcing residents to flee their farms. Ortese hosts thousands of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), many of whom were sent into panic once again.
The violence escalated as the assailants reportedly attempted to advance toward Daudu. However, a swift response by military personnel, supported by local youths and police units, helped repel the attackers. Eyewitnesses reported sporadic gunfire and intense fighting in the surrounding bushland.
Mr. Matthew Mnyan, a community leader and former acting chairman of the Benue State Universal Basic Education Board, confirmed the incident. He explained that armed herders stormed the Asha community in a coordinated assault that spread to Ortese and eventually Udei by 2 p.m., where four Mobile Policemen were killed.
“They started chasing people away from their farms in Asha and pushed toward Ortese. The military responded with two armoured trucks and engaged the attackers for about an hour in the bush,” Mnyan said.
“Later in the day, they launched another attack on Udei, and I was informed that four policemen lost their lives during that shootout. People are now living in fear, especially in Ortese, where the IDPs are calling for urgent security reinforcement.”
Residents reported that the attackers returned to Ortese later in the evening, heightening fears of another invasion. According to Mnyan, the Area Commander has mobilized more personnel to the affected areas, but residents remain on high alert as nightfall limits visibility and response capacity.
This latest incident comes just over two weeks after over 200 people were killed in nearby Yelewata in a similarly brutal attack. Many survivors from that massacre are still hospitalized or displaced.
Efforts to reach the Benue State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Udeme Edet, were unsuccessful at the time of filing this report.