At least one student has died and two others were injured during a military operation targeting bandits in Jato-Aka, Turan district, Kwande LGA, Benue State, on Tuesday afternoon.
Eyewitness accounts of the incident, which occurred at Ikpengezwa along the Jato-Aka–Kashimbila Road, were conflicting. Some residents claimed troops stationed with a Chinese mining company shot and killed four Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), including a student, while others were injured as they returned from the funeral of traditional ruler Zaki Hanave Laha. They also alleged that some mourners, including the chief mourner, were detained by the military.
Other witnesses said soldiers were pursuing bandits on motorcycles, and that a gunfight ensued. According to one anonymous resident, the bandits used funeral attendees as cover while fleeing, resulting in one student killed and two injured by stray bullets.
The Benue Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Udeme Edet, confirmed the casualties, clarifying that the military was engaging armed bandits. “It is not the killing of students. The military team was returning from patrol when they sighted hoodlums with firearms. Stray bullets hit three students. One was confirmed dead at the hospital, while two are receiving treatment,” she said.
As of press time, the Nigerian Army in Benue had not issued an official statement regarding the incident. Investigations are ongoing.
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