For more than a decade, civilians in Nigeria have faced multiple security threats and risk of atrocities as result of attacks, kidnappings and extortion by various non-state armed groups
Matthew Onocheta
Gunmen reportedly killed six people, including the driver of a commuter vehicle in the early hours of Monday in Benue State, North-Central Nigeria.
The commuter vehicle was heading to Wukari after departing Takum in Taraba State around 6 a.m, and was ambushed at a village near Sai in neighboring Benue state, according to local news outlet, The Sun Nigeria.
“I arrived in Jalingo yesterday for a meeting, but this morning I received a call about a tragic incident along the Takum-Wukari Highway,” said John Ali, Chairman of Takum Local Government Area.
Five passengers left Takum around 6 a.m. and while approaching a village near Sai in Benue State, gunmen emerged from the forest and opened fire on the moving vehicle. The five passengers and the driver were killed,” Ali told reporters.
He said security operatives in the area have initiated patrols to track down the fleeing gunmen.
Police could not be reached for comments.
– Insecurity and violence in Nigeria –
For more than a decade, civilians in Nigeria have faced multiple security threats and risk of atrocities as result of attacks, kidnappings and extortion by various non-state armed groups.
Since the start of 2024 civilians have faced intensified violence across Nigeria, and near-daily attacks by armed groups resulting in kidnappings and other abuses against civilians.
Armed groups and gangs, including so-called “bandits,” have – for many years – perpetrated widespread atrocities, including murder, rape, kidnapping, organized cattle-rustling and plunder. Armed herdsmen are also destroying vast swaths of farmland, prompting many farmers to abandon their land out of fear of attack.