Tragedy as Suspected Armed Herders Kill Former PDP House of Assembly Candidate and Four Others in Benue State

In a fresh wave of violence across Benue State, suspected armed herders launched a deadly midnight raid on the Otobi community in Otukpo Local Government Area, claiming the lives of five people. Among the victims was Igbabe Ochi, a prominent politician and former House of Assembly candidate for the Otukpo-Akpa State Constituency under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) during the 2019 elections.

The attack, which occurred at approximately 1:30 a.m. on Tuesday, January 13, 2026, reportedly followed a failed kidnapping attempt in the same community just 48 hours earlier. According to local witnesses, the attackers stormed the village shortly after community youth patrols had withdrawn for the night. They opened fire on a group of people seated near a transformer junction, killing Hon. Ochi and four others instantly.

The President of the Otobi Community Development Association, John Anyebe, confirmed the tragedy, stating that the assailants entered through a railway station bridge before looting local stores for food and valuables. This latest massacre underscores a terrifying escalation of insecurity in Benue. Just days prior, a retired military officer was killed in the same local government, while a soldier and an NSCDC official were ambushed and murdered in Kwande LGA.

Residents are now living in a state of heightened fear, with many deserting their homes. Community leaders have issued an urgent plea to the Federal Government and security agencies to deploy sustained patrols and intelligence-led operations to dismantle the militant networks terrorizing the region.