Gunmen have killed a traditional ruler and District Head of Olegabulu a Community in Agatu Local Government Area of Benue State, Alexander Awodi, along side his wife and two others, Police sources say.

The Command’s spokesperson, DSP Edet Udeme, confirming the incident to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in an interview on Saturday, disclosed that the Command had commenced full-scale investigations into the incident with a view to bringing the perpetrators to justice.

According to NAN findings, a local source in the community revealed that four armed men, riding on two motorcycles, stormed the residence of the traditional ruler and opened fire on him and members of his household.

The source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, noted that the assailants initially interacted with residents in  local dialect, giving no indication of their intentions.

“The attackers were not suspected to be Fulani herders because they spoke our dialect and exchanged pleasantries with people around. No one suspected they were enemies.”

“However, immediately they entered the traditional ruler’s residence, they opened fire, causing residents to flee for safety,” the source said.

The source added that the attackers operated for nearly 20 minutes, after which they proceeded to a nearby house where they killed two additional persons, injured one other and fled the scene.