One week has passed since an alleged armed herder attack on several council areas claimed the lives of two troops and three soldiers.
According to Maj. Gen. Sunday Igbinowanhia, the Force Commander of Operation Whirl Stroke, who verified the incident to Punch, two soldiers and members of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps lost their lives thwarting the attack at Okokolo.
“The victory came at a great cost, though,” he stated, “with three of the soldiers making the ultimate sacrifice to stop the killing of the Okokolo residents and the planned sacking of the town.”
Another attack occurred, according to a community member who went by the name Oche and spoke with the aforementioned website.
“We don’t yet know the precise number of those who were slain during last night’s attack on Ikpele, Okpokpolo, and other locations by these gunmen.
“Until around ten o’clock at night, there was a fierce combat. So far, two bodies have been found. Numerous homes caught fire. In actuality, Oche stated, “at least 17 burned houses were counted within the attacked community last night.”
He continued by saying that many had abandoned their houses in the impacted neighborhoods.
Tension was high in the council area, according to former Commissioner for Information, Culture, and Tourism and local government member Mike Inalegwu, who confirmed the attack.
“In actuality, the armed herdsmen attacked Okpokpolo village yesterday (Tuesday) and killed two people while the villagers were planning their hypothetical attack on the Ogbai community,” he stated.
“There is a lot of tension, and the seven communities that the local government borders in Kogi are deserted. This has authority.
The incident was also verified by Joseph Har, Governor Hyacinth Alia’s Special Advisor on Security and Internal Affairs. He did, however, claim that he was not informed of the deaths.