Armed herdsmen have reportedly beheaded Paul Ojile, a councillor-elect in Benue state, and his cousin, in the Orokam district of the state’s Ogbadibo local government area.
The two men went missing on Thursday, June 16, but after a search was conducted by hunters and local vigilante in the community, their heads were found on Friday morning, according to reports.
The chairman of the local government council, Prince Samuel Onu, while verifying the incident, disclosed that the victims were on a rescue mission in the forest when they were caught and killed by the armed herdsmen who had earlier kidnapped a member of the community, The Vanguard reports.
Onu said, “In the last three days now, herdsmen have been troubling the area, and there have been incessant kidnapping cases in this region.
“There was a kidnap case yesterday (Thursday) by the armed herdsmen, after which they left a community in Owukpa, and went towards Orokam.
“On their way to Orokam, they kidnapped one man. So, the councillor-elect, since he lived in the village, decided to go after them because he was a hunter too.
“He and his cousin, with other hunters and the vigilante alongside Operation Zenda security team entered the forest to see if they could rescue the man that was kidnapped.
“It was when they were to return yesterday that the other hunters noticed that the councillor-elect and his cousin were missing.
“However, the hunters were able to apprehend two herdsmen during the rescue operation.
“When the vigilante and hunters went to the forest to check again on Friday morning, they saw the lifeless beheaded bodies of the councillor-elect and his cousin.”
He noted that the arrested herdsmen have been taken to Makurdi, the state capital for thorough investigation by Operation Zenda.
Meanwhile, the state police command, is yet to verify the incident as of the time of filing this report.
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