Suspected gunmen assassinate community leader in Benue’s Mbayongo clan

A 62-year-old community leader, Zaki Stephen Kegher, has been shot dead by unidentified gunmen in Odbaniange, a settlement in the Mbayongo clan of Benue State.

The incident occurred around 9:00 p.m. on Wednesday when the assailants invaded the victim’s residence and opened fire, killing him on the spot.

Kegher, who served as the kindred head of the Odbaniange community, was reportedly the main target of the attack. Preliminary intelligence suggests that the perpetrators may be loyalists of a notorious bandit leader known as Konyo.

Zagazola Makama reports that security personnel were dispatched to the scene following a distress alert, but the gunmen had already vanished into the woods.

A manhunt is now in place, with combined security teams monitoring bush paths in the private area, where the fleeing suspects may have gone.