Armed assailants suspected to be violent herders have killed a Nigerian soldier and an officer of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps during an attack on Udeku community in the Turan district of Kwande Local Government Area, Benue State, located in Nigeria’s North Central region.
The deadly incident occurred on Saturday, January 10, 2026, and was confirmed by a community leader, Mr. Lawrence Akerigba, who described the attack as another devastating blow to an area that has faced repeated security challenges in recent months.
Mr. Akerigba said the assault triggered widespread fear, forcing many residents to flee their homes, while economic and social activities in the agrarian community were completely disrupted.
Okay News reports that the deceased security personnel were part of a joint security deployment assigned to Kwande Local Government Area under Operation Whirl Stroke, a Nigerian military-led security operation established to curb violent attacks, banditry, and communal clashes across Benue and neighboring states.
According to local sources, the slain officers had traveled on a motorcycle to Aga Market to refill their cooking gas before the fatal encounter.
“Unfortunately, on their way back, they ran into a roadblock mounted by Fulani militants who were attacking the community,” a source said.
“They took them unawares, opened fire on them and killed them instantly,” the source added.
Further accounts revealed that local youths later mobilised, searched nearby forests, and recovered the charred remains of the officers. The bodies were subsequently taken to a mortuary in Jato Aka, a town in Benue State.
Residents disclosed that the attack was part of a broader wave of violence in the area, noting that suspected armed herders had invaded nearby communities the previous week, killing five farmers while they were working on their farmlands.
A senior military officer attached to Operation Whirl Stroke, who spoke anonymously due to the absence of official authorization, confirmed the incident on Sunday, January 11, 2026.
“Yes, a soldier was killed, and he was an aircraftman,” the officer said.
The Police Public Relations Officer in Benue State, Deputy Superintendent of Police Udeme Edet, also confirmed the attack but clarified that no police personnel were involved.
“No police officer was killed, but regrettably an officer from our sister agency did not make it,” Edet said.
Meanwhile, the Public Relations Officer of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Mr. Michael Ejelikwu, confirmed the loss of two security personnel.
“Yes, unfortunately, I can confirm to you that at about 1500 hours on Saturday, January 10, 2026, Fulani militias attacked three security personnel attached to Operation Whirl Stroke and killed two of them,” Ejelikwu said.
“The unfortunate incident happened at Udedeku, Maav Ya, Mbakyor council ward of Kwande Local Government Area.”
Mr. Ejelikwu identified one of the deceased officers as Civil Defence Assistant Tijani Idris, with Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps service number 76691, who was deployed from the Kaduna State Command to the joint task force.
He emphasized that despite the attack, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps remained resolute in its mandate to confront insecurity nationwide.
Community anxiety has continued to rise following recent violent incidents across Benue State, including renewed attacks on farmers and security operatives after a United States airstrike on Islamic State West Africa Province camps in Sokoto State on Thursday, December 25, 2025.
Separately, a traditional ruler in Gwer West Local Government Area, His Royal Highness Daniel Abomtse, and the Chairman of Agatu Local Government Area, Mr. James Ejeh, warned of increasing movement of armed groups into Benue State and called for urgent federal intervention.
