A Special Duty-bound Assistant Superintendent of Police and four Civilians have been killed after armed bandits launched another attack on Abande Community in the Kwande Local Government Area of Benue State.
The incident occurred on 3rd February, 2026, at about 17:30hr, when a Divisional Police Officer, Jato-Aka, received a distress call that suspected armed herders suspected to be bandits stormed the community in large numbers and attacked police personnel stationed at Abande Community and members of the area.
Spokesperson of the Nigeria Police Command in Benue State, DSP Udeme Edet said on Wednesday in a statement that the unnamed police officer, attached to 13 Police Mobile Force (PMF), Makurdi, died during the ensuing confrontation while police operatives were responding to the distress call.
“During the ensuing confrontation while police operatives were responding to the distress call, one Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) attached to 13 Police Mobile Force (PMF), Makurdi, who was on special duty at Abande Community, was fatally injured during the attack, according to the statement.
“Regrettably, four members of the community also lost their lives as a result of the attack by the bandits”, according to the statement, which also revealed that deceased persons have been recovered and deposited at an undisclosed mortuary.
“Following the incident, combined teams of police operatives and other security agencies have been mobilized to the area to secure the Community, conduct a thorough search, and forestall further breakdown of law and order.
In response to the attack, the Commissioner of Police, Benue State Command, CP Ifeanyi Emenari, has directed the Deputy Commissioner of Police in-charge of Operations to immediately proceed to Jato-Aka with additional Mobile Force personnel and Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs) to coordinate intensive operations, track the perpetrators, and effect their arrest, the statement said.
The Benue State Police Command commiserates with the families of the deceased and the Abande Community, and assures the public that all necessary measures are being taken to bring the perpetrators to justice and restore peace to the area, as investigations and operations continue.
