Two operatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) have been confirmed dead following an ambush on a joint security patrol team in Udei, Guma Local Government Area of Benue State.
Reports obtained by Naijaonpoint on Thursday revealed that the attack, which occurred at about 4:38 pm on Tuesday, also left at least three officers missing, while two others sustained gunshot injuries and are currently receiving treatment.
The patrol team, which included personnel from various security outfits such as the Police Mobile Force (13 PMF and 58 PMF), State Intelligence Services (SIS), Operation Zenda, Counter-Terrorism Unit (CTU), NSCDC, Benue State Civil Protection Guards, and local vigilantes, had responded to distress calls about the burning of houses in Udei village.
Daily Trust quoted sources as having disclosed that the team came under heavy gunfire near Ukohol community along the Makurdi-Lafia highway while en route to the affected area.
During the fierce ambush, Police Inspector Ochepo Benjamin and an unidentified NSCDC officer sustained bullet wounds and were rushed to the Benue State University Teaching Hospital, Makurdi, for urgent medical attention.
However, the whereabouts of Police Inspector Muhammed Abdullahi and two other NSCDC officers remain unknown at the time of filing this report.
NSCDC Confirms Casualties
Confirming the incident in a telephone interview, NSCDC Public Relations Officer, Michael Ejelikwu, told newsmen the two deceased officers as Adoli Simon and Ernest Tyolumun Ayilla, both of Assistant Superintendent Cadre I (ASCI).
“Yes, I can sadly and regrettably confirm the killing of two of our personnel, Adoli Simon (ASCI) and Ernest Tyolumun Ayilla (ASCI), who both paid the supreme price defending their fatherland during a joint security team clear-out operation at Udei, Guma Local Government Area, on July 8, 2025, at about 1638 hours,” Ejelikwu stated.
He added, “Let me state unequivocally that the Corps is not deterred by these coordinated and sustained attacks by these marauding killer herdsmen and their collaborators. The NSCDC, in synergy with other security agencies, will continue to defend the territorial integrity of the Nigerian nation.”
However, the Benue State command of the Nigeria Police Force has yet to release any official statement regarding the development as of the time of filing this report.
Naijaonpoint reports that the ambush is the latest in a series of deadly encounters between security operatives and armed groups in the troubled Benue axis, where tensions between farmers and suspected herdsmen continue to escalate.