Police Operation Zenda: Fear and Grief in Benue Communities

Tse Angaador is a farming village about 182 kilometers from Makurdi, the capital of Benue State. It has around 3,000 residents and is located in the Gaambe Tiev area of the Logo Local Government Area. The only road leading to it is a narrow dirt track that runs through cassava and yam farms.

On 27 July 2024, the men of the village were finishing the Imôngu, a traditional Tiv funeral rite held overnight. This ceremony was for Kumawuese Bam, a secondary schoolgirl who had died from an illness. The event took place in front of her family’s home.

Polycarp Yaapera was at the vigil with his younger brother, Aondoakura, who is a 34-year-old father of three.

"Suddenly, I heard gunshots. When I turned, it was the police. I looked back and saw my brother, who was sitting next to me, fall to the ground," Polycarp said.

He remembered hiding behind a mud wall for about five minutes until the shooting stopped. From a distance, he saw bodies on the ground. His brother, Aondoakura, was one of the seven mourners who lost their lives.

The gunmen were from a police unit called “Operation Zenda.” This unit was set up by the state police in 2008 to deal with rising cases of kidnapping and communal conflicts in the troubled North-central region. But many people in Benue told PREMIUM TIMES that they see this unit as a source of fear. They accused it of extrajudicial killings, forced disappearances, and violent raids.

A mother’s double loss

Helen Bam, the grieving mother, was inside her room with some visitors when they heard the gunfire.

"One of the police officers kicked my door open," she said. "Others joined him, and they started searching everywhere."

Mrs. Bam claimed that the officers took ₦32,000 in cash from her room and a smartphone belonging to one of her daughters.

Her son, Lubem, also died in the raid.

"My husband died in 2015 and left me with five children," she said, her pain still fresh two years later. "Now Kumawuese is gone. Lubem is gone."

After burying her two children, Mrs. Bam suffered health issues that needed hospital care. When PREMIUM TIMES visited Tse Angaador in January 2026, she said she may never heal from the tragedy.

"I do not sleep at night," she said. "Whenever I see police, I want to ask them to kill me too."

What happened to the bodies?

The village chief, Mbaveluior Yaapera, said the police took the bodies after the shooting. He claimed that Akegh Ernest, the commander of Operation Zenda, led the team.

"They loaded the bodies into a Hilux van and drove away. We were too scared to follow," he said.

An eyewitness account

PREMIUM TIMES spoke with a resident who said he saw the bodies being taken to a private mortuary in Ugba.

The police truck carrying the bodies arrived around 6 a.m., but officers stopped onlookers from getting close.

"When police kill armed robbers, they usually show the bodies at Y Junction in Ugba, the headquarters of Logo LGA, for everyone to see before taking them to the general hospital," the eyewitness, who wanted to stay anonymous, said. "But that morning was different. They drove straight to a private mortuary instead of the general hospital."

PREMIUM TIMES visited the mortuary, but an official who wanted to remain anonymous said he could not talk about the bodies.

After the killings, Mr. Yaapera said the community reached out to Solomon Wombo, their representative in the House of Representatives, and Benjamin Uzenda, who was the chairman of Logo Local Government Area at the time.

At a meeting in Anyiin, the council chair reportedly told community leaders that the police felt sorry for the killings.

"We were told the killings were a mistake by the police," he said. "But they warned that if we pressed for justice and there was an attack by armed herders later, security would not help us."

Mr. Wombo later gave ₦500,000 to help with the burial of the seven men, according to Mr. Yaapera.

PREMIUM TIMES tried several times to call Mr. Wombo, but he did not answer or return the calls. The newspaper also sent him a WhatsApp message asking if he had looked into the killings or sought accountability. The message was delivered, but he did not reply.

PREMIUM TIMES also contacted Benjamin Uzenda, who was the chairman of Logo Local Government Area during the incident. He acknowledged the call and agreed to meet the reporter later that day to discuss the July 2024 killings. But the meeting did not happen, and further calls went unanswered.

The community said the victims were buried on 10 August 2024 in Tse Angaador. They were identified as Ordughga Tyoapine, Kater Tarpav, Yaapera Ternenge, Nater Setim, Ioryevese Tarpav, Bam Lubem, and Yaapera Aondoakura.

Another incident

Six months before the Tse Angaador killings, another community in Logo Local Government Area faced a similar police operation.

Around 10 a.m. on 12 January 2024, police officers arrived in Tse Jikina, Mbavuur Ward, about 31 kilometers from Tse Angaador. Residents said Akegh Ernest, then a divisional police officer in Logo, led the team in two Hilux vans.

A resident, Tornyor Orkile, said the officers' goal was to arrest his brother, Iorhom Orkile, an herbal practitioner they accused of giving charms to armed bandits in the Sankera area. The suspect, Iorhom, told PREMIUM TIMES that the officers searched his home without showing a warrant.

"I am a registered member of the Nigeria Union of Medical Herbal Practitioners. I have not dealt with bandits, nor have I given them charms," he said.

Residents claimed officers assaulted them during this event. Terpase Mbai said he was struck with a rifle butt, while Mbakaan Mbai said he was forced at gunpoint to lead the officers to Iorhom’s house.

In January 2026, PREMIUM TIMES saw 25 burnt and abandoned homes in Tse Jikina.

Zuamo Tornyor, a student at the University of Maiduguri, said his family home was among those destroyed.

Court documents show that Tornyor Orkile sued the police, Operation Zenda, and its commander, Akegh Ernest. The case was later dismissed after the judge was transferred. Mr. Orkile claimed he was pressured to drop the case.

Death under Zenda

On 16 May 2022, almost two years before the police raid in Tse Jikina and the killings in Tse Angaador, two brothers, Emmanuel and Terna Chado, were in Tor Mkar Mbazerem, Shangev Tiev, in Konshisha Local Government Area to watch a football match. After the game, Terna returned to his home in Awajir while Emmanuel stayed behind.

Later that night, Emmanuel learned that Terna had been arrested after a phone call told him to go to the local police station. The family said the arrest happened after police tracked phone calls involving Terna and several people.

The family never saw Terna alive again.

Police documents reviewed by PREMIUM TIMES claimed Terna died while in custody. They said that on 17 May 2022, he was taken along to arrest a suspect when a stray bullet hit him during a gun battle.

They also told the court that Terna was buried on 19 May 2022.

Court awards ₦50 million

Another brother, Charles Chado, later filed a suit at the Federal High Court in Makurdi, accusing the police of killing Terna unlawfully.

In suit No. FHC/MKD/CS/147/2023, Charles sued the Commissioner of Police, Benue State Command, Justin Gberindyer, and two others.

On 15 March 2024, Justice R. J. Egbe ruled against the police and awarded the family ₦50 million in compensation.

But the family said they have not received any money. "Up till now, the Nigeria Police have not paid a single kobo to our family," Emmanuel said.

Terna left behind a son. For the Chado family, the ruling confirmed that their son’s right to life was violated but did not answer the key questions about his death, including where the shooting happened and why he was buried without their knowledge.

Arrested, not seen again

Unlike Terna Chado, whose death was confirmed in court, the fate of Paul Achov remains unknown.

Ukan Kurugh, a human rights activist handling the case, said the 27-year-old was arrested at City Bay, a relaxation spot in Makurdi, on 2 August 2025. Mr. Kurugh said a police report described Mr. Achov as a member of a gang causing trouble on the Makurdi-Lafia highway. But no evidence or formal charges were given to his family.

In October 2025, the lawyer said he wrote to the Force Headquarters in Abuja, the National Human Rights Commission, and the Police Service Commission. He later got information from a police source that Mr. Achov had been killed, which he challenged police to prove otherwise by showing where he was.

Paul's younger sister, Ruth, 22, said officers at the Daudu Police Station first claimed he was detained for a shooting incident. She said when a cousin went back with food later, they were told Mr. Achov was not there.

"If they have evidence, they should charge him. If he is innocent, they should clear his name," she said.

Ruth, who said she and Paul were orphans, said she last saw him on the day he was arrested. She said her brother graduated in Philosophy from Benue State University and returned to farming and crop trading after failing to find a job.

The family’s demand is simple: produce Paul Achov alive, charge him if there is evidence, or explain what happened to him.

Death of Philip Kpentemen

A family member who wanted to stay anonymous for safety said Fanen Kpentemen was arrested at his workplace in Makurdi on 20 September 2025. This was over a complaint by a woman, Fatima Ameh, that he had defrauded her through his WhatsApp account.

The family said Ankyo Moses, linked to Operation Zenda, led the arrest.

"Fanen was arrested on a Friday, and by Saturday he was dead," the family member said.

But in a statement on 26 September, police spokesperson Udeme Edet said Mr. Kpentemen was arrested as a robbery suspect. He claimed Fanen led officers to a hideout where they found a locally made pistol and five cartridges.

According to the police, the suspect tried to escape but was caught by local youths who killed him before officers could help. He said Fanen was taken to the teaching hospital, where a doctor confirmed him dead.

The family disagrees with the police story, and questions remain about his death, including claims of torture and why they were not informed of his death in time.

Another death in custody

On 11 January 2026, Tordue Shapila, 35, was arrested at his home in Apir village, Makurdi. His father, Christopher Shapila, said armed men who said they were from Operation Zenda broke into their home around 4 a.m. and took him and another man, Stephen Achoon.

For weeks, the family said the investigating officer Solomon Mnyim denied them access to Shapila, although they kept bringing food and were told he was healthy.

On 4 March, his lawyers filed a request at the Chief Magistrate Court in Makurdi for his release or arraignment. Two days later, the court ordered the police to either release him on bail or bring him to court within 24 hours.

The police did neither.

On 18 March, a lawyer who was following up at the Benue State Police Command was told that Mr. Shapila had died. The police said he was taken to Gboko during investigations and was killed in a gunfight after suspected associates attacked officers. His body was said to be at the Benue State University Teaching Hospital mortuary.

The family rejected this account.

In a petition dated 23 March, their lawyers demanded an investigation, an independent autopsy, his body for burial, and ₦5 billion in compensation. They also threatened legal action against the police and officers linked to Operation Zenda.

Zenda commander speaks

Operation Zenda Commander Ernest Akegh, a police superintendent, denied any wrongdoing when asked about the unit and the July 2024 killings in Tse Angaador.

"I want to assure you that everything I do is in line with the law," he told PREMIUM TIMES, defending his work in the unit.

Mr. Akegh said when a suspect dies during police operations, autopsies are done to find out the cause of death. But he refused to provide medical or autopsy reports related to the cases mentioned by PREMIUM TIMES, directing inquiries to the police commissioner or the command's public relations officer.

Police response

When asked, Benue police spokesperson Udeme Edet said she was not the spokesperson at the time of the July 2024 operation in Tse Angaador that led to the deaths of the seven men.

"I cannot answer your question because I was not in this position then. I was not the PPRO," she said.

Regarding Philip Kpentemen's death in 2025, she said the Benue State Police Command stands by its previous statement absolving the police of blame.

"Police made an official report on this matter," she said.

When asked if an autopsy was done and if PREMIUM TIMES could get a copy of it, she said, "I will get back to you later." She did not provide any further details on the issue.

She was also asked about Paul Achov's disappearance after his arrest in August 2025. She did not answer and set a time for a follow-up call, but did not return the call or any subsequent ones.

Government response

The Director-General of the Bureau of Homeland Security, Jacob Gbamwuan, said the claims of extrajudicial killings by security agencies are serious and need a formal investigation.

"These are serious claims," he said. "There must be a committee. There must be a body that will sit down and conclude what is happening."

When asked if the government would set up an investigative committee for the allegations, Mr. Gbamwuan said any complaints must first be formally submitted and handled properly.

"If our Benue people have such complaints, they will be taken up officially," he said. "The committee's position will be the government's position."

He added that Operation Zenda operates under the Nigeria Police Force, which he said would be responsible for setting up any committee.

Lawyer calls for action

Rommy Mom, a human rights lawyer and president of Lawyers Alert, said the allegations and abuses must be investigated, and those responsible need to be punished.

"When police officers do wrong and go unpunished, it encourages them to do worse," he said.

Security spending

The Benue State Government has been increasing its spending on internal security lately, as terrorism and other forms of violence continue. The state allocated ₦9.27 billion to security in 2023, ₦12 billion in 2024, and proposed ₦15.60 billion for 2025.

While the government raises security spending, questions remain about who is accountable for the use of those funds and whether the agencies meant to protect citizens are doing their jobs.

For families who say their loved ones were killed, disappeared, or died in police custody, the worry is that the security agencies meant to protect them are becoming a source of fear.