At least two persons have been reportedly killed in a fresh attack by armed invaders on the Atakpa community in the Agatu Local Government Area of Benue State.
According to Daily Trust, residents said the incident occurred on Monday evening, barely 24 hours after earlier attacks that left 14 people dead in Edikwu Ankpali and other communities in neighbouring Apa Local Government Area.
A resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the victims were part of a search party looking for missing persons following previous attacks.
“One of the victims was buried on Sunday. Attacks have been ongoing in communities bordering Apa and Agatu almost daily for the past three months,” the source said.
The resident added that insecurity has persisted in the affected areas, with communities experiencing frequent invasions.
However, the Benue State Police Command denied reports of fatalities from the latest incident.
The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, DSP Udeme Edet, said no deaths were recorded during the attack.
“Nobody was killed, but a stray bullet hit one person who is currently receiving treatment,” she said.
Edet added that one person is currently missing, while security operatives have launched a search and are tracking the attackers.
“One person is missing, and a search is ongoing, while security operatives are trailing the perpetrators,” she added.