Gunmen Kill Soldier, NSCDC Officer In Fresh Benue Attack

Two security personnel, comprising a soldier and an operative of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), have been shot dead by suspected armed assailants in Udeku community, Kwande Local Government Area of Benue State.

Naija News learnt that the attack, which occurred on Saturday evening, happened when the security operatives ran into an ambush along a road in the community.

Residents of the area told Daily Trust that the incident occurred at about 5:00 p.m. while the officers were returning from Aga Market, where they had gone to refill cooking gas.

According to eyewitnesses, the attackers had blocked the road before opening fire on the operatives, killing two of them on the spot.

It was gathered that the ambush took place at the same location where five farmers were brutally killed a few days earlier while harvesting yam and Bambara nuts on their farms.

The recurring attacks have heightened fear among residents, who say the area has become a hotbed of violent assaults.

A former Supervisory Councillor in Kwande Local Government Area, Akerigba Lawrence, said the assailants had earlier laid siege to several communities in the area, destroying property and disrupting farming activities.

“On Saturday, January 10, 2026, at about 4:26 pm, another tragedy struck Turan in Kwande LGA when security officers stationed at Anwase were killed at Udeku – the same location where armed herders killed five people four days earlier,” Lawrence told journalists.

He added that the attackers, who allegedly arrived in large numbers, burnt houses, destroyed farms and economic trees during the renewed violence.

Lawrence disclosed that one of the soldiers reportedly escaped the ambush and later reported the incident at a police station in Jato-Aka.

According to him, the situation has continued to worsen, forcing many residents to flee their homes in search of safety.

Lamenting the humanitarian situation in the area, Lawrence said displaced residents were facing serious health risks due to the absence of adequate medical support.

“Jato-Aka town, which is hosting displaced persons from about five council wards, is no longer safe. There is fear everywhere, and many people are leaving without knowing where to go,” he said.

Police, NSCDC Confirm Attack

Confirming the incident, the Police Public Relations Officer of the Benue State Police Command, DSP Udeme Edet, said two security operatives were killed at about 5:50 p.m. on Saturday in Kwande LGA.

In a separate statement, the Public Relations Officer of the NSCDC in Benue State, Michael Ejelikwu, also confirmed the death of one of its personnel.

“Yes, I can confirm that at about 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, January 10, 2026, armed attackers attacked three security personnel attached to Operation Whirl Stroke, killing two of them,” Ejelikwu said.

He identified the slain NSCDC operative as CCA Tijani Idris.

“The unfortunate incident happened at Udeku, Maav-ya, Mbakyor council ward of Kwande LGA. The NSCDC personnel killed in the incident is CCA Tijani Idris, NSCDC S/NO: 76691, from Kaduna State Command but seconded to Operation Whirl Stroke Joint Task Force,” he stated.

Ejelikwu described the killing as a painful loss but reaffirmed the resolve of the corps to continue its mandate.

“It is unfortunate; however, it is the hazard of our calling. The NSCDC remains determined and committed to confronting insecurity in whatever form. Our sincere condolences go to his immediate family,” he added.

However, military formations in the state, including Operation Whirl Stroke, had yet to issue any official statement regarding the incident as of the time of filing this report, Naija News reports.

Reports revealed that the deceased soldier was an air force personnel.