Tragedy struck in Kogi State as two teenage girls were brutally killed in an ambush by suspected armed herdsmen near Okekwu village in Igalamela/Odolu Local Government Area.

The victims, identified as 17-year-old Ajuma Simon and 18-year-old Omojo Shuaibu, were reportedly returning from Ega market around 7 p.m. on Wednesday, July 30, when they were attacked along a bush path leading to their village.

An eyewitness, Yahaya Edibo, told reporters that the girls were ambushed about 2 kilometers from Okekwu. “We heard them screaming for help, but before we got there, the damage had been done. 

One of them was still breathing and managed to say they were targeted for rape. They tried to run, but the attackers, armed with machetes, caught up with them and butchered them,” he recounted.

Local vigilantes and youths later recovered the bodies on Thursday morning and deposited them at the morgue in Idah.

In response, the Kogi State Police Command has deployed officers to the area to forestall any escalation of tension.

Meanwhile, the Igalamela chapter of the Ukomu Igala cultural group condemned the attack, raising alarm over the rising insecurity in the region. The group urged the state government to urgently strengthen security across rural communities to prevent further loss of lives.