Suspected armed herdsmen have killed five persons including, Igbabe Ochi, a former House of Assembly candidate in Otobi community in the Otukpo Local Government Area of Benue State.

Ochi contested for the Otukpo-Akpa State Constituency on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) during the 2019 general election.

The latest attack, which occurred at about 1:30am came barely two days after a kidnap attempt in Ekwu-Ora Odaba area of Otobi was foiled by community volunteer guards.

Locals said Otobi has increasingly become a target of suspected armed invaders, following a deadly attack on April 15, 2025, when 13 residents were killed, and another incident in May 2025 that claimed three lives.

The latest killings according to residents occurred after volunteer guards and youths maintained patrols and surveillance across the community until midnight on Monday before withdrawing to rest.

“When the surveillance team covering the railway crossing toward the Ijami axis pulled back around 1:30am, the gunmen stormed the community and began shooting indiscriminately,” a villager who craved anonymity said.

“Five people were killed, while foodstuffs and other valuables were looted,” the local added.

Confirming the incident, President of the Otobi Community Development Association (OCDA), John Anyebe, told journalists in Makurdi that the attackers accessed the community through the railway station bridge from the Ijami side of Otobi.

“They first shot a person near the water board before moving to the transformer junction where Honourable Igbabe Ochi and four others were seated and opened fire on them. They also looted nearby shops for food and other items,” he said.

Anyebe lamented the repeated killings in the community, recalling the April 15, 2025 massacre and the subsequent killing of three persons at the Omebe axis of Otobi barely two weeks later.

The Police Public Relations Officer in Benue State, DSP Udeme Edet, confirmed the killings. However, he put the figure of casualties at four.

Edet said, “We can confirm that an incident occurred earlier today at Otobi-Akpa. Tragically, four individuals have lost their lives.

“Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with the family and loved ones affected by this incident.

“Investigation is in progress, and efforts are being made to arrest the perpetrators to face justice.”

Also, the Special Adviser to the Benue State Governor on Security and Internal Affairs, Chief Joseph Har, confirmed to journalists in Makurdi that suspected armed herders who maybe looking for food for their kidnapped victims attacked a provision shop in Otobi-Akpa community, Otukpo LGA at 1:30am, killing the four persons and looting food items.

He added, “The attackers fled into a nearby forest after residents raised alarm. Police and Civil Protection Guards were immediately deployed to prevent further attacks. The victims were identified as Hon. Ochi Ugbabe, Achibi Onah, Eje Eba and Sunday Iruja.”

Har also noted that four persons kidnapped earlier in the community are yet to be released.

Meanwhile, the lawmaker representing Otukpo-Akpa constituency at the State Assembly, Kennedy Angbo, has decried the persistent attacks on his people.

Speaking to journalists in Makurdi, he disclosed that on Sunday evening, gunmen attacked a Benue Links bus at the Burnt Bricks area of Otukpo, leaving three passengers injured.

“Five of my people have again been killed in Otobi community, barely a year after 13 others were murdered on April 15, 2025.

“I am calling on security agencies to intensify intelligence gathering and counter-operations to flush these terrorists out of our area,” Angbo said.

The family of Chief Victor Olabisi Onabanjo has announced the passing of their matriarch and wife of the former governor, Chief (Mrs) Lucia Onabowale Onabanjo.

She was aged 100.

In a brief statement released on Tuesday and forwarded to P.M.NEWS, the family announced “with deep regret but with gratitude to Almighty God, the passing of our beloved mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, Chief (Mrs) Lucia Onabowale Onabanjo (1925–2026), who was called to glory on Monday, 11 January.”

The family thanked God for the “fulfilled life and legacy of love, strength and faith she leaves behind,” and prayed for the repose of her soul.

The deceased was the wife of the late Chief Olabisi Onabanjo, the first civilian governor of Ogun State, who served during Nigeria’s Second Republic between October 1979 and December 1983.

Funeral arrangements are yet to be announced.

The Nigeria Police Force, through the Intelligence Response Team (IRT), has finally invited Tammy Wenike Danagogo, former Secretary to the Rivers State Government (SSG), over the allegation that he was speaking in a leaked telephone conversation, discussing how to assassinate the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike.

Danagogo is a top ally of Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers. It was alleged that the governor’s ally was making the call with Tombari Joseph Gbeneol, a medical doctor and founder of Life Forte Chapel Church in Port Harcourt, the state capital.

In the leaked conversation, Danagogo and Gbeneol were said to have discussed how they could bring in an Israeli national to assassinate the minister of the FCT, and it ended with an alleged plan to urge Governor Fubara to fund the execution.

Last week, Benjamin Hundeyin, the public relations officer of the police, reportedly revealed the arrest of Gbeneol in a statement on Tuesday, January 6, where he disclosed that further information on the issue would be made available after the interrogation had been completed.

This is coming amid the heated political tension between Wike and his successor, Governor Siminalayi Fubara. Since the Christmas holiday, the two political leaders have been throwing banters at each other. The governor has been accused of ignoring the peace agreement he signed with President Bola Tinubu in 2025.

The news of the police invitation to Danagogo was shared by Lere Olayinka, a media aide to Wike. The development has started generating reactions from some Nigerians. Below are some of their reactions:

Olufemi Aluko described it as a joke:

“Once I saw Israel, I just started laughing. We’re not serious in this country. I just knew it had to be a joke.”

Seyi questioned: “Leaked conversation. Yeah. How many phone taps do the DSS actually have running?”

Dare called for a deeper investigation: “Has it got to this? This is barbaric. If found culpable, he should be made to face the law.”

Meenah condemned the development:
“Another shocking development. When close allies of a governor are linked to alleged assassination plots, it raises serious questions about leadership and accountability. Rivers State deserves leaders who unify, not ones whose associates spark fear and chaos.”

Read more reactions to the news from X here: /

Police Invite Fubara's Ex-SSG Tammy Danagogo Over Leaked Phone Conversation Plotting Wike’s Assassination

The Nigeria Police Force, through its Intelligence Response Team (IRT), has invited a former Secretary to the Rivers State Government (SSG), Tammy Wenike Danagogo, for…

— Lere Olayinka – Aresa 1 (@OlayinkaLere) January 12, 2026