Tension has gripped Logo Local Government Area of Benue State after unidentified gunmen ambushed the convoy of Prince Shimapever Jiji, the member representing Logo State Constituency in the Benue State House of Assembly, killing a former councillor and injuring several others.
The attack occurred on Saturday evening at Anyiin, in Logo LGA, when the lawmaker was returning from Tombu Council Ward, where he had gone to commiserate with families of victims of a previous assault that left at least three people dead.
A community source, who spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity, said the assailants opened fire without warning as soon as the convoy approached the area.
“The unknown assailants, who were in their numbers, on sighting the convoy at Anyiin, started shooting sporadically at the vehicles, killing a former Councillor of Tombu Ward identified as Tsebee and injuring many others,” the source said.
According to eyewitness accounts, the lawmaker narrowly escaped the attack as his convoy came under heavy gunfire from multiple directions. The slain former councillor was said to have died instantly from gunshot wounds.
Confirming the incident, the Chairman of Logo Local Government Area, Clement Kav, condemned the assault, describing it as “unprovoked and barbaric.” He called on security agencies to fish out the perpetrators and bring them to justice.
“Our son came home to commiserate with the families of those killed in Thursday’s attack. I was supposed to be part of his entourage, but the governor called me for a meeting. Only for me to hear later that the Logo representative was attacked on his way back at Anyiin,” Kav said.
The LGA chairman lamented the persistent attacks on innocent residents in Logo and surrounding communities, warning that such violence was pushing the area to the brink of instability.
Efforts to reach the Benue State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Udeme Edet, for confirmation proved unsuccessful as her mobile line was unreachable at the time of filing this report.
The latest assault adds to the growing wave of insecurity across parts of Benue State, where frequent armed attacks have continued to claim lives and displace rural dwellers despite repeated government assurances of improved security.
