Troops foil armed herders’ attack, kill one in Benue

Troops of Sector 1, Joint Task Force Operation Whirl Stroke, in collaboration with personnel of the Nigeria Police Force, have foiled a suspected attack by armed herders in Azege Village, Tombo Council Ward, Logo Local Government Area of Benue State.

This is contained in a statement issued on Tuesday and made available to newsmen by the Acting Media Information Officer, Lieutenant Ahmad Zubairu.

The OPWS media officer said the troops, acting on a distress call, promptly mobilised to the area and engaged the armed herders in a gun battle.

“On 10 August 2026, troops received a distress call reporting an attack on Azege Community. In response, troops swiftly mobilised to the area to confront the threat and restore security.

“On arrival, the troops made contact with the armed criminals and engaged them in a gunfight. As a result, the assailants were overwhelmed by the troops’ superior firepower and fled in disarray,” the statement read in part.

Lt Zubairu said the troops pursued the fleeing attackers and subsequently discovered one armed herder who had been neutralised during the encounter.

He listed the items recovered from the scene as one AK-47 rifle, one magazine loaded with 16 rounds of 7.62mm special ammunition and one Nokia mobile phone.

Lt Zubairu said the recovered items had been secured, while the remains of the neutralised assailant were evacuated by the police. He added that efforts were ongoing to track and apprehend other members of the group who fled the scene.

The Joint Task Force Operation Whirl Stroke commended the troops for their tactical resilience and praised the Nigeria Police Force for its effective cooperation.

The OPWS advised residents to remain vigilant and promptly report suspicious movements and activities within their communities to security agencies.