A joint security patrol team in Benue State came under heavy attack by suspected armed herdsmen on Monday, leaving two officers wounded and three others missing.
The ambush occurred along the Daudu-Uikohol Expressway in Guma Local Government Area while the team was responding to reports of burning houses in a nearby village.
The operation, comprising personnel from the Police Mobile Force, State Intelligence Services, Operation Zenda, Counter-Terrorism Unit, NSCDC, and local vigilante groups, was assessing the situation when armed assailants opened fire.
A police inspector and an NSCDC officer sustained gunshot injuries and were rushed to Benue State University Teaching Hospital in Makurdi. Another inspector and two NSCDC operatives remain unaccounted for, prompting an intensive search operation.
This latest violence adds to the escalating insecurity in Benue, particularly in Guma, where clashes between farmers and herdsmen have become frequent. Authorities have yet to issue an official statement on the ongoing search for the missing officers.