Rose Ejembi, Makurdi
Some unknown gunmen have reportedly killed an officer of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Akile village, Kilometer 16, Makurdi – Gboko Road in Benue State.
Akile is one of the five settlements in Tyomu community, Makurdi local government area of the state that have been enmeshed in communal clashes for sometime now.
Narrating how the incident happened, a source from the area, who did not want to be mentioned, said about 4am on Monday, the deceased was awoken by an alarm from neighbours and in response, he came out of his house to know what was amiss.
“But unfortunately for him, immediately he stepped out of his house to find out what was happening, the gunmen hiding very close to his house wasted no time in shooting him dead and, thereafter, disappeared from the area.
Our source, who gave the name of the dead officer as Abeeka Abeeka, an Assistant Commandant, opined that he may not have been the target of his assailants.
“The gunmen may have killed him in error because our community in which he was resident had recently been fighting with themselves over land/revenue generation issues,” he said.
When contacted, the Benue State NSCDC Commandant, Isah Ado, has confirmed the killing of one of his officers, saying investigation into the matter was already on.
A fortnight ago, another NSCDC officer, Joseph Ochogu, an Inspector of Corps, was killed in Guma local government area of the state in the line of duty.