‘Four security personnel killed’ in bandits’ ambush in Benue

Four members of a joint security team comprising police officers and soldiers were reportedly killed on Friday in an ambush near Daudu town in Guma LGA, Benue state.

According to Zagazola Makama, a counter-insurgency publication focused on the Lake Chad region, the team came under attack by suspected terrorists while responding to a reported security threat.

The incident reportedly occurred around 12pm following intelligence that a group of armed men was advancing toward a nearby community.

Sources quoted by the publication said the team walked into an ambush and engaged the attackers in a gunfight.

Additional troops were later deployed to the area for reinforcement. A search operation recovered the bodies of four security personnel.

A police inspector, identified as Mohammed Yakubu, who was part of the team, has been declared missing. Search efforts to locate him are ongoing.

Communities in Benue state have come under repeated attacks over the past week, with the latest incident leaving dozens dead in Yelewata, Guma LGA, on Saturday.

The attack marks the third assault on Yelewata in just one week, raising concerns over the worsening security situation in the area

On Monday, Abba Moro, senator representing Benue south, asked Olufemi Oluyede, chief of army staff, to deploy more troops to vulnerable communities in the state