Gunmen in military uniform abducted passengers in Mechanic Village, Otukpo LGA, Benue State.
3 Aug 2025 · Mechanic Village, Otukpo, Benue
Perpetrators
Unidentified Armed Actors
Response
The Otukpo LGA Chairman said the abductors wore camouflage. The police spokesperson stated that a manhunt was launched.
Displacement
0
Socioeconomic drivers
Banditry-for-ransom economy, impersonation of security forces
Trajectory
Incident reflects persistence of highway insecurity in Benue.
Cycle notes
Otukpo highway attacks illustrate repeated threats weakening public trust in security institutions.
Pattern
Highway abductions
Related — Kidnapping
Gunmen attacked the palace of the paramount ruler of Gindiri chiefdom in Mangu LGA, Plateau State, and abducted Charles Mato Dakat (the Sum Pyem). The incident occurred in the early hours of Sunday, between 1:00 am and 2:00 am. The monarch was in the palace alone at the time, as his wife had traveled to Jos and his children were not around. The assailants fired heavy gunshots, causing panic in the community.
At about 5:00 p.m., Bandits invaded Mada community in Zamfara State, firing shots and abducting three residents. A few hours later, another attack was launched at Gidan Bangi, where 12 people were killed.
On a day when the Borno State Government had officially cleared and profiled over 6,000 farmers to venture into their fields, armed insurgents (believed to be ISWAP) intercepted a group of farmers in Bulagarji, a village just a few kilometers outside the town of Mafa. The insurgents took advantage of the distance some farmers traveled away from the security-protected "inner ring" of the town to kidnap them.