The Benue State Police authority has escalated operations following assaults by herdsmen on cashew cultivators in Asaba, Ojantele, and Okpette communities, all situated within the Apa Local Government Area of Benue State.
The farmers were allegedly tending to their fields when the attackers launched their strike.
This information was included in a statement released on Saturday by the spokesperson of the Benue State Police Command, DSP Udeme Edet.
She stated that a collaborative security team composed of personnel from the Nigeria Police Force, military forces, and local youth from the affected areas quickly mobilized into the forest to conduct search and rescue missions with the intention of finding victims and capturing the offenders.
Edet remarked that at the conclusion of the initial operation, six (6) deceased bodies were retrieved while efforts are underway to ensure the safety of inhabitants in the impacted communities.
“The Commissioner of Police Benue State Command CP Ifeanyi Emenari PhD,psc,mnips wants to reassure the public that reinforcements have been dispatched to facilitate a more exhaustive and coordinated operation in the affected forests aimed at tracing those accountable for the assault.”
She indicated that patrols have been heightened throughout the affected communities and the entire state to avert any additional attacks and to reassure residents of the constant readiness of security personnel to confront such incidents.
Edet urged the public to maintain composure and continue cooperating with security agencies by supplying reliable information that may aid ongoing operations.
