Gunmen, suspected to be armed herdsmen, shot dead Mr. Sunday Oche, the Igumale Ward 1 Chairman of the Labour Party (LP) in Ado Local Government Area of Benue State, on Tuesday.
The deceased was with friends, riding on motorcycles to the Ongwu Adaka plantation for farm work, when they were ambushed by the armed bandits. Mr. Oche died on the spot, while five others sustained gunshot wounds but managed to escape.
A source close to the victim’s family, speaking anonymously, revealed that Mr. Oche and his companions had gone to help a widow with her farm. They were returning after their day’s work when they were attacked.
“Those who went to the farm with the chairman returned home with varying degrees of injuries. The herdsmen assaulted them and also stole their two motorcycles,” the source said.
One of the survivors, identified as Ogaba, recounted, “My younger brother was the first to fall from his bike when the herders stopped them, and they shot at him.”
“Youth from our ward went to the scene of the incident, but unfortunately, the attackers had fled, leaving the deceased in a pool of his blood. They brought the body home and took the injured to the hospital,” he added.
He mentioned that the deceased would be buried tomorrow and noted that Mr. Oche left behind a wife and two children.
“The government must act to address the militia attacks by herdsmen on Benue communities, as everyone is now living in fear,” he stated.
Meanwhile, Tersoo Orbunde, the Labour Party Publicity Secretary, confirmed the incident, stating that the body has been recovered and is awaiting burial. He added, “Yes, he is the Ward Chairman from Igumale, Sunday Oche. He went to his cassava farm and was attacked there and killed.”
When contacted, the Benue State Police Public Relations Officer SP Catherine Anene stated she was not aware of the incident.
