Suspected armed men opened fire on a Joint Task Force (JTF) checkpoint along the Otukpo–Ohimini road in Benue State around midnight on Thursday, killing a police officer and leaving another security operative seriously wounded.
Local sources said the attackers approached the checkpoint under cover of darkness and immediately shot at the security personnel on duty, sparking a heavy exchange of gunfire.
During the shootout, Inspector Akpan Ogbole of the Nigeria Police Force and Abechi Oche of the Nigeria Forest and Hunters Services sustained multiple gunshot injuries.
“The armed men and the security personnel engaged in a fierce gun duel that left the two officers critically injured,” one source said.
Both men were rushed to Otukpo General Hospital for emergency care. The police inspector was later confirmed dead. The Hunters Services officer, who was initially feared dead, was stabilised and is said to be responding to treatment, according to a relative who asked not to be named.
The attackers also reportedly fled with an AK-47 rifle belonging to the police and a pump-action gun assigned to the Forest and Hunters Services.
Police Public Relations Officer, Udeme Edet, confirmed the incident and said an investigation is underway to track down those responsible.
The Otukpo–Ohimini axis has seen intermittent security operations in recent months, as joint forces made up of the police, vigilantes, and allied services attempt to curb armed criminal activity in the area. Authorities have not yet identified the gunmen or disclosed a motive for the attack.
