Benue: Miyetti Allah Chairman, Associate Ambushed and Killed in Otukpo

The Benue State chapter of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) is in mourning following the tragic killing of its chairman, Ardo Muhammad, and another individual identified as Yakubu Isah. The duo met their untimely end at the hands of unknown gunmen within the Otukpo Local Government Area, an incident that has ignited significant apprehension across parts of Otukpo and the adjacent Ohinmini Local Government Area.

Sources indicate that Chairman Muhammad had earlier on Friday participated in a peace dialogue. This meeting was reportedly convened by the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Ohinmini and involved leaders from the Ayunne community in the Ohinmini LGA. However, while returning from this assembly, Muhammad and his companion were reportedly ambushed by armed assailants. Their vehicle was attacked in a village located in the Otukpo Local Government Area, leading to their immediate deaths.

Muhammad's eldest son, who spoke to journalists via telephone late on Friday, confirmed the grim details, stating that his father had been ambushed and killed.

The Chairman of Otukpo Local Government Area, Maxwell Ogiri, acknowledged the incident and highlighted the palpable tension now gripping the affected community and surrounding areas within his jurisdiction. "It is true that the state chairman of MACBAN was killed within Otukpo LGA this afternoon. The killing has raised tension in the community and environs," Ogiri stated. He urged residents to maintain calm, assuring them that security forces were actively managing the situation.

Corroborating the account, Adole Gabriel, Chairman of Ohinmini Local Government Area, also confirmed that the MACBAN state chairman had indeed attended a peace meeting organized by the local DPO on Friday. Gabriel explained, "You know there was a crisis in Ayunne community where some people were killed some time ago, and the DPO of Ohinmini convened a peace meeting with the Fulani herders and the community." He added that he was informed the meeting concluded successfully, and the chairman departed thereafter. "Unfortunately, I learnt that some gunmen ambushed his vehicle at Okudu community in Otukpo LGA and killed him with one other person," Gabriel recounted.

DSP Udeme Edet, the spokesperson for the Benue State Police Command, confirmed receipt of the report and stated that an official investigation into the killings is currently underway.

It is worth noting that several communities within Otukpo and the neighboring Ohinmini Local Government Areas have frequently been targets of attacks attributed to suspected armed herders.