Some yet-to-be identified gunmen invaded the palace of a traditional ruler in Ado Local Government area of Benue State on Monday, killing his son and abducting his daughter.
Sources from the area disclosed that the incident happened at about 2am after the gunmen succeeded in gaining access to the premises of the clan head of Ikpomolokpo at Gege ward of the council area.
The gunmen were said to have stormed the community and made their way straight to the residence of the clan’s head while shooting sporadically to scare away members of the community.
“After they forced their way into the premises of the clan’s head, they forcibly entered the house and met his son in his room. They were apparently looking for the wife of the traditional ruler,” a source said.
Confirming the incident, Chairman of the local government, James Oche, who spoke with journalists on telephone, said that he received a distress call from the area in the early hours of Monday.
“I was told that some gunmen at about 2am (Monday) entered the home of the clan head of Ipomoloko through the fence and asked for his wife from the son whose name is Thompson.
“I was told that the young man told them that he did not know the whereabouts of his mother and they shot him dead after which they now took his sister away,” the chairman said.
“I immediately alerted troops of Operation Whirl Stroke (OPWS), but before they could get to the place, the gunmen had escaped to Atiga forest around Okpokwu LGA,” Oche said.
He added that the troops were still on the trail of the gunmen.
Efforts to get the police to confirm the report failed as the phone number of the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Catherine Anene, was switched off at the time of this report.
Meanwhile, no fewer than 15 persons had been killed by suspected armed bandits in two separate attacks launched in Sokoto State.
The State governor, Aminu Tambuwal, made the disclosure on Monday while presenting the 2022 Appropriation Bill to the State House of Assembly.
Tambuwal said the attacks happened between late on Sunday and the early hours of Monday.
He disclosed that 12 people lost their lives in Illela Local Government area, while three were killed in Goronyo Local Government area of the state.
The governor, however, condoled with the families who lost their loved ones in the attacks.