Three officers are missing after gunmen attacked a joint patrol team in Benue State.
They were ambushed while checking smoke from huts near the Daudu–Uikohol Expressway.
Three security officers are missing following an attack by suspected armed herdsmen on a joint patrol team in Benue State. The incident occurred on Monday afternoon along the Daudu–Uikohol Expressway in Guma Local Government Area.
According to a statement from the Benue State Police Command, the joint patrol, which included members of the Police Mobile Force (13 PMF and 58 PMF), State Intelligence Services, Operation Zenda, Counter-Terrorism Unit, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Benue State Civil Protection Guards, and local vigilantes, had been conducting a routine operation when the attack happened.
The team reportedly spotted smoke coming from huts located about two kilometers from the expressway and decided to investigate. As they approached the area, they were ambushed by suspected Fulani herdsmen believed to have set the homes on fire.
During the shootout, Inspector Ochepo Benjamin of the Police and an unnamed NSCDC officer sustained gunshot injuries. Both are currently receiving treatment at the Benue State University Teaching Hospital in Makurdi.
However, Inspector Muhammed Abdullahi and two NSCDC operatives could not be accounted for after the encounter. Security agencies have begun a search operation to locate the missing personnel and to restore calm in the area.
