Benue traditional ruler, wife, son among five killed in Agatu

A fresh attack in the Agatu Local Government Area of Benue State has left the traditional ruler of Olegabulu community, Chief Momo Awodi, his wife Abigail, and their son, Boniface Ochowechi, dead.

The assault occurred on Thursday night, sending shockwaves through the local community. In addition to the monarch and his family members, two other individuals—Ochowechi Ochegwu and Deborah Ochowechi—were also killed during the attack.

The assailants, believed to have arrived on motorcycles, initially blended in with residents before launching their deadly assault.

A local source speaking on condition of anonymity revealed that the attackers gained access to the royal residence and opened fire on the family.

“The attackers were not Fulani, as they greeted people in our local dialect, which caught no one’s suspicion,” the source said. Panic ensued after the shooting began, forcing residents to flee for safety.

The attackers, who operated for nearly 20 minutes, moved to another house after the attack on Chief Awodi’s home, where they killed two more people. One person sustained injuries before the attackers fled the area.

The Chairman of Agatu Local Government Area, Melvin Ejeh, confirmed the tragedy in a phone interview on Friday, stating that five people had been killed and one injured.

“It is true, the incident happened, five people were killed, and one person was injured during the attack,” Ejeh said.

Security operatives have since visited the scene, although the Benue State Police Command spokesperson, DSP Udeme Edet, noted that she had not yet received official details of the incident.

About The Author

Dele Fashomi

Dele Fashomi, seasoned journalist and communication teacher, is a holder of Master of Arts degree in Communication and Language Arts from the University of Ibadan in 1992/93.

Earlier, he had bagged a Bachelor degree from the same university in 1984, after which he proceeded to the Nigerian Institute of Journalism, Lagos, in 1990, for a postgraduate diploma in Journalism.

He had done many courses in communication, including the EU-BBC Editing Course in 2002.

Mr. Fashomi combines effectively the practice, research and teaching of communication. And to date, he has published two academic works in communication: Issues in Communication Technology and Policy (2010) and Economic and Social Issues in Advertising and PR (2013).

He had his first break in the Nigerian media in Concord Newspapers in 1990 and today, he has over two and half decades experience earned in several newspapers.

He has been part of many start-ups, such as The Republic (1987), The Comet (1999), The Anchor 2001 – 2002; Sun Newspapers (2003); Westerner newsmagazine (2005 – 2010) as Editor; National Life (2011) as Sunday Editor, and Newswatch Newspapers (2012- 2016) as Daily Editor.

Dele Fashomi is now the Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of Newstide247.com newspaper online, which he started in July 2015. He is also into biography writing, with many books in his trail, some of which he wrote alone and one he co- authored with his mentor, Mr Dare Babarinsa, entitled: Olabiyi Durojaiye – DARE TO BE DiFFERENT. He also guided and collaborated with Pa Olatunji Odusanya in writing his autobiography – AGAINST ALL ODDS. There are many other books in the works under his pen.

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