Herdsmen behead 2 relatives in Benue

There was pandemonium on Friday when two persons, a councillor-elect and his cousin, were beheaded by armed bandits suspected to be herdsmen in Ogbadibo Local Government Area of Benue State.
The Abuja Inquirer gathered that the bodies were discovered in the forest on that fateful morning as they were beleived to have been killed on Thursday.
Sources from the area said the killing had angered the villagers particularly the youths who, in protest, blocked the major highway in the area for hours, halting vehicular movements.
Chairman of Ogbadibo LG, Mr Samuel Onuh, who confirmed the incident said the victims were among local hunters who had gone with vigilante and some police officers to rescue one of their brothers who was earlier kidnapped by suspected herdsmen.
Onuh said, “There was a kidnap yesterday (Thursday). In the last three days now, the herdsmen have been troubling the area and there have been incessant kidnap in the local government. They (herdsmen) left from one community in Owukpa and went towards Orokam.
“On their way to Orokam, they kidnapped one man. So, the councillor-elect, since he lived in the village, was a hunter too. He and his cousin, with other hunters and the vigilante with Operation Zenda, entered the forest to see if they could rescue the man that was kidnapped.
“It was when they were to return yesterday that they noticed that two of them were missing. But they (security personnel) were able to arrest two of the Fulani men. This morning when they went to check again, they saw their (councillor elect and his cousin) lifeless bodies, beheaded.”
The chairman stated that the arrested herdsmen have been taken to the police headquarters in Makurdi, the by men of Operation Zenda.
He said the traditional head of Owukpa and Orokam, Chief Ikwuje has spoken to the youths to sheathe their swords and normalcy had returned to the area.
Meanwhile, spokesperson of the Benue State Police command, SP Catherine Anene, who also confirmed the report, said they have arrested two of the suspected kidnappers and rescued the victim.
Anene, in a statement, explained that “On 16/6/2022, at about 0900hrs, while a team of Operation Zenda JTF were on patrol within Otukpa, Ogbadibo LGA of Benue state, information was received that one Raphael Okpe of Akere village was kidnapped on his way to the farm.
She said the team responded immediately and chased the kidnappers into their hideout where they engaged them in a gun duel.
“Consequently, two of the suspects, Abdulahi Mohammed and Yusuf Saidu were arrested while the other suspects escaped with gunshot injuries.
The victim who was already shot in the leg by the hoodlums was rescued and taken to hospital where he is responding to treatment.
Anene said 10 rounds of AK47 ammunition were recovered from the hideout adding that investigation is ongoing to arrest the other suspects at large.