At least four Mobile Policemen were feared dead in a fresh Sunday afternoon armed herders attack on Udei community in Guma Local Government Area, LGA, of Benue State.

Udei community is less than 15 15-minute drive from the Yelewata community that was equally invaded over two weeks ago by armed bandits.

It was gathered that the marauders who launched the attacks at about 11 am also attempted to storm neighbouring Daudu but were repelled by a combined team of security agencies and the youths of the area.

They were said to have invaded the Asha community, where they shot sporadically, chasing people away from their farms, and it eventually escalated to Ortese, which is home to thousands of Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs.

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The source disclosed that the quick intervention of the military personnel stationed in the area who engaged the marauders in the bush halted their move into Ortese, and no resident was killed in the renewed attack.

Contacted a community leader in the area and former acting Chairman of Benue State Universal Basic Education Board, Mr Matthew Mnyan, who confirmed the development, disclosed that “the attack started at about 11 am at Asha, which is very close to Ortese. They began pursuing people from their farms, and it escalated to Ortese.

“It got to the point that the soldiers there moved in with their armoured truck, and when it became intense, they moved in another armoured truck, and they engaged them for up to one hour in the bush.

“And before you knew it, they started moving and shooting at Dudu, which is before Daudu.

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“When I got the information, I immediately called the Divisional Police Officer, DPO, who took his men there to repel them.

“In what looked like a coordinated attack, they also attacked Udei at about 2 pm, and four Mobile Policemen were killed in the shootout.

“I was told that they are still around even now. They have reappeared at Ortese this evening. As we speak, people are in fear.

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“When I called the Area Commander he said he has mobilised to Udei and I learnt they went in their numbers but it is getting dark and people are entertaining fear. Even the IDPs in Ortese are all in fear and calling that they need more security.”

This latest wave of attacks came about 16 days after a similar attack on the neighbouring Yelewata community claimed over 200 lives, with many hospitalised and many others displaced.

Efforts to get the reaction of the Police Public Relations Officer, Deputy Superintendent, DSP, Udeme Edet were unsuccessful. She did not pick up her calls and also did not reply to her text messages.

Kebbi State Government has confirmed that a group of armed bandits attacked a Mobile Police post in Makuku, located in the Zuru Local Government Area, and made away with an undisclosed number of rifles.

The Director of Security at the Cabinet Office, Abdulrahman Zagga, disclosed this to journalists in Bagudo Local Government Area on Saturday.

According to Zagga, the mobile police post, which was manned by visiting officers, came under heavy attack from a large group of bandits numbering in the hundreds. Despite engaging the attackers in a fierce gun battle, the officers were ultimately overpowered.

“The bandits burnt a Toyota Hilux patrol vehicle belonging to the unit and escaped with an undisclosed number of rifles,” he stated.

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Zagga clarified that it was not a police station that was attacked, as some reports claimed, but a temporary mobile police post. He added that the mobile police officers were forced to withdraw due to the overwhelming number of assailants.

He further revealed that upon learning of the attack, the state government requested air support from the Nigerian Air Force, which helped force the bandits to retreat.

“No casualties were recorded during the incident,” Zagga said. “Most of the bandits infiltrated from neighbouring Zamfara and Niger States.”

He explained that Makuku village shares a border with Niger State, making it vulnerable to such attacks.

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Zagga also emphasised that, unlike some neighbouring states, Kebbi State has no peace agreements with any bandit groups or their leaders.

He pointed out that informants remain a major obstacle in the fight against banditry and noted that attacks tend to intensify during the rainy season due to extortion tactics used against farming communities.

“Once they demand money from a community and it is paid, the bandits may temporarily leave that community alone. But once the money runs out, they move on to another community to extort. That’s why many communities remain in constant fear,” he added.

However, Kebbi State Command Police image maker, CSP, Nafiu Abubakar, could not be reached for comment as of the time of filing this report.

A mother of six, Latinate Sanusi, has told a Shari’a court in Magajin Gari, Kaduna, Kaduna State, that she cannot leave her former husband’s house after three pronouncement of divorce.

Latinate stated this in response to Abdulrazak Yunusa’s prayer to confirm the three pronouncement of divorce he made to her and compel her to leave his house.

“My children are all girls and I intend to stay so that I can take care of them; after all he does not provide most of their needs,” she said.

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According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the complainant told the court that he takes care of his family adding that he divorced her because she was not submissive.

The judge, Malam Kabir Muhammad after listening to both parties confirmed the three pronouncement of divorce between the couple.

He explained that there was no marriage between the couple until the woman remarries.

“What is before me is a suit on confirmation of divorce; the issue of children custody can be filed as a fresh case,” he said.