Three operatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) have been declared missing after a joint security patrol team was ambushed by suspected armed herdsmen in Benue state.
The attack, which occurred around 2:19 pm on Monday, took place along the Daudu–Uikohol expressway in Guma local government area.
Edet Edeme, police public relations officer in Benue, confirmed the incident in a statement issued on Tuesday.
Edeme, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), said the patrol team comprised personnel from the police mobile force (13 PMF, 58 PMF), state intelligence services (SIS), Operation Zenda, counter-terrorism unit (CTU), NSCDC, Benue State Civil Protection Guards and local vigilante groups.
He said the team was on a routine operation when they noticed burning houses about two kilometres from the Makurdi–Lafia federal highway and advanced to assess the situation.
“Upon approaching the area, they were ambushed by armed men suspected to be herdsmen who had been setting fire to huts in the village,” Edeme said.
During the exchange, a police inspector, Ochepo Benjamin (AP/No. 266789), and an NSCDC officer sustained gunshot wounds. They were taken to the Benue State University Teaching Hospital, Makurdi, for treatment.
However, another police inspector, Muhammed Abdullahi (AP/No. 196271), and two NSCDC officers went missing during the incident.
Edeme said a coordinated search operation is ongoing to locate the missing personnel.
The attack is the latest in a series of violent incidents linked to suspected herdsmen in Guma, one of the flashpoints of insecurity in Benue.
