Tragedy In Benue: Newly-Wed Soldier Slain By Suspected Herdsmen Days After Wedding

Gunmen believed to be herdsmen launched a deadly attack on the Ikobi-Ochekwu community in Apa Local Government Area of Benue State late Wednesday night, resulting in the deaths of several residents, including a newly-married soldier.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

According to information obtained by Naija News on Thursday morning, the assault lasted for several hours, leaving the community in chaos.

A resident, identified as Ochofie, told Daily Post that the attackers stormed the village under the cover of darkness, firing indiscriminately at locals and setting houses ablaze.

The exact number of casualties remains uncertain, as many residents are still missing.

“In the early hours of Thursday, two additional bodies were found in nearby Ijaha. They were later identified as Sani Ngbede and Aduba Paul Ogboyi,” a source revealed.

The identities of other victims, including the slain soldier reportedly recently wedded, have yet to be confirmed by authorities.

In a related development, another soldier deployed under Operation Udoka was recently killed in Anambra State by suspected members of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).

The soldier was reportedly gunned down after he left his duty post on Saturday, May 18, 2025, to attend a private event dubbed the “Ladies’ Jamboree” — a strippers’ party — at a nearby hotel in Uli, while still dressed in his military camouflage uniform.

A security source told The PUNCH that the soldier’s absence was noticed during a tactical operation. “He had sneaked out of the base without authorization. He was later ambushed and fatally shot by suspected IPOB/ESN operatives. His body, along with that of a baby, was recovered at the scene by troops.”

His service weapon has since been recovered and is in military custody.

Naija News notes that Operation Udoka is a counter-insurgency initiative launched by the Defence Headquarters.

Efforts to reach the Director of Defence Media Operations, Maj. Gen. Markus Kangye, for comments were unsuccessful at the time of this report.

This latest killing adds to the growing number of targeted attacks on security personnel in Nigeria’s South-East, where IPOB and its militant wing, ESN, have been accused of violent assaults against state forces.