Uikpam, the headquarters of Mbabai Council Ward in Guma Local Government Area of Benue State, came under heavy attack by gunmen on Friday night, forcing hundreds of residents to flee into bushes for safety.
According to reports gathered by BenriNews, the attackers invaded the community at approximately 10:30 pm and began shooting sporadically, causing widespread panic among residents.
Jimin Geoffrey, former media aide to ex-governor Samuel Ortom, confirmed the incident in a Facebook post on Saturday, stating that many residents were forced to spend the night in bushes or flee to Daudu for safety.
"People slept in the bushes and had terrible battles with mosquitoes. Many were injured while fleeing in the dark bushes for safety," Geoffrey wrote.
Geoffrey, who personally visited Uikpam on Saturday morning to assess the situation, expressed concern about the vulnerability of the area, which has housed an Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp for years.
"Uikpam is vulnerable to militia herders attacks and my sincere appeal to the state government is to urgently restore the mobile security personnel that were withdrawn from the town few weeks ago. This will bring back confidence in the residents," he added.
The former media aide has called on both state and federal governments to take proactive measures in restoring security to the area to prevent potential future calamities.
This attack comes amid growing concerns about security in various parts of Benue State, which has experienced recurring conflicts between farming communities and armed groups in recent years.
The withdrawal of mobile security personnel from Uikpam weeks before this attack has raised questions about the security strategy in vulnerable communities across the state.
As of the time of this report, there has been no official statement from security agencies or the state government regarding the incident or plans to reinforce security in the area.
Stay connected with BenriNews for updates on this developing story. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, WhatsApp, and Telegram for more news across Nigeria and beyond.
