- *We Will Go After Benue Killers, Army Chief Assures
THE Benue State Police Command has dismissed reports of any attack on Wannue Town in Tarka Local Council Area on Friday night, June 20.
The Command, in a statement on Saturday by its spokesperson, Udeme Edet (DSP), described the social media reports as entirely false and misleading.
Recall that social media users had earlier claimed that herdsmen attacked Wannue Town, but Edet insisted no such attack occurred, urging the public to disregard the reports.
She stated: “On the evening of June 21, about 8 p.m., the Police received a report that one Aondohemba Yayough was shot dead along Akume Road, Wannue.
“A team of detectives was immediately deployed to the scene. Witnesses identified the attacker as Saater Aii, a known ex-convict.
“Local security operatives disarmed the suspect, but he escaped. Two other persons injured at the scene were taken to the hospital and are receiving treatment.
“Police have recovered the AK-47 rifle used in the attack. Efforts to apprehend the fleeing suspect are ongoing.
“Members of the public are urged to ignore misinformation and rely only on verified sources. No herdsmen were reported in Wannue.”
Meanwhile, the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt- Gen. Olufemi Oluyede, has assured that the Nigerian Army will bring to justice, perpetrators of the recent killings in Benue, Plateau and other parts of the country.
Speaking in Akure during a second quarter 2025 media chat organised by the Department of Civil-Military Affairs, Nigerian Army Headquarters, themed, ‘Military-Media Collaboration: Panacea for Enhanced National Security and Development,’ Oluyede, represented by the General Officer Commanding (GOC), 2 Division of the Nigerian Army, Ibadan, Maj-Gen. Obinna Onubogu, said the military was fully committed to ending the spate of violence, particularly in North Central.
Oluyede, said President Bola Tinubu had given very clear orders, explained that they would remain engaged in Plateau, Benue, Kwara and quite a number of states experiencing insecurity, adding: “We are out, fully deployed and tackling the menace head-on.
“In Benue particularly, you will see in the coming weeks, very elaborate security arrangements to ensure that all that is going on there completely stops.
“Communities and local stakeholders should support military operations by sharing timely intelligence:
“The Army cannot be everywhere at once. Nigeria is a vast country, but we are not as large in number as many people believe. We rely heavily on the support and cooperation of the local population to provide timely and credible information.
“In some cases, unfortunately, the people are not very helpful, in terms of the information they give out, which delays our reaction time. That must change if we are to win this fight together.”
The Army chief urged the media to verify facts before publication and help in building national security and development to combat misinformation and sensational reporting, regretting that the social media space, especially, is flooded with misinformation, disinformation and outright lies.
“So, we are appealing to the media practitioners to reach out to us before putting out unverified stories. We are satisfied with the support we’ve received from the media so far, and we hope that deepen synergy to ensure national security is not undermined by sensational reporting.”
