Tragic Incident in Benue State: Former PDP Chairman and Security Commander Killed by Gunmen

Gunmen on Friday night fatally attacked Aondoakaa Yaiyol, a former chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Tarka Local Government Area of Benue State and the current Commander of the Nigeria Hunters and Forest Security Services in the same LGA. The tragic incident has sent shockwaves through the local community and the state’s political and security circles.

The Benue State Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Tim Nyior, confirmed the killing on Saturday in a statement to journalists. “It’s true that the man was once PDP chairman in Tarka LGA before his current position as commander of the Nigeria Hunters and Forest Security Services in Tarka,” Nyior said. “Unfortunately, his wife was killed just last year.”

Details surrounding the attack remain unclear, and no group has claimed responsibility as of the time of this report. Security agencies are yet to issue an official statement, but investigations are reportedly underway. Yaiyol had recently been involved in grassroots security operations through his leadership in the Nigeria Hunters and Forest Security Services, a volunteer-based group supporting conventional security agencies in rural and forested areas. His death marks another grim chapter in the growing insecurity in parts of Benue State, where both community leaders and civilians have increasingly become targets of violence. The PDP and local stakeholders have called on security agencies to intensify efforts to apprehend those responsible and bring them to justice.

More updates are expected as investigations continue.