Two NSCDC officials shot dead in exchange of gunfire with ‘herdsmen’

The Benue state command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has lost two of its men in a gun battle with suspected herdsmen.

Adakole Peter, a spokesman of the corps in Benue, confirmed this to TheCable, saying the incident happened in Awange after Kasseyol village in Guma local government area of the state.

Peter identified the deceased as Adams Godwin and Abah Patrick. He said the unfortunate incident happened around 5pm on Sunday.

“They were killed in Guma during an exchange of gunfire with herdsmen. We got some of the herdsmen too but unfortunately two of our colleagues were killed,” he told TheCable via telephone on Monday.

Guma is one of the local government areas where many people were killed on New Year’s day.

The incident happened around the time when people deserted a village in Jama’a local government area of Kaduna state over an attack by suspected herdsmen.

Four people died in that incident.

On Saturday, suspected herdsmen ambushed a police team in Benue. Four officers were declared missing afterwards.

While two returned unhurt, the corpse of one was found on Monday. The whereabouts of the other officers remain unknown.

Last week, suspected herdsmen engaged soldiers in a shootout in Benue.

All measures to check the clashes between farmers and herdsmen have not yielded the desired result. The army has announced a 44-day operation in the six north-central states, including Benue.