11 Killed in New Benue Attack by Suspected Herdsmen
Fresh violence has struck Benue State as suspected armed herdsmen reportedly killed 11 people in the early hours of Tuesday in Afia community, Ukum Local Government Area. The attack comes less than a week after over 50 farmers were massacred in separate assaults across the state.
The Ter Ukum, His Royal Highness Chief Iyorkyaa Kaave, confirmed the incident while speaking at a security meeting in Makurdi, convened to address the worsening spate of violence in the region.
Describing the attack as unprovoked and part of a broader effort to forcibly displace indigenous farming communities, the monarch expressed deep concern over the continued loss of lives and destruction of property.
“As I speak to you, these attacks began on Thursday in Logo and by Good Friday had spread to several communities in Ukum. We are still counting the dead, recovering more corpses, and many of our people remain missing,” Chief Kaave lamented.
He said Tuesday’s assault on Afia was especially brutal, as gunmen descended on the village at dawn, opening fire on residents and killing eleven on the spot. Several others were left critically injured.
The monarch warned that the attacks appear to be part of a calculated plan by the armed herders to seize land and displace the native population.
“These people are different from the Fulani we knew and lived peacefully with in the 1970s and 1980s. Back then, they would come during the dry season with their families and cattle. But what we are witnessing now are armed men with AK-47s attacking our people in their sleep and returning to occupy their homes,” he stated.
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Chief Kaave called on President Bola Tinubu to take urgent and decisive action to halt the bloodshed. He cautioned strongly against any plans to negotiate with the attackers.
“The president should understand this clearly — we do not want to settle with murderers. These people have a hidden but now obvious agenda: to kill, displace, and occupy,” he declared.
The attack adds to growing concerns about insecurity in Benue and other parts of Nigeria’s Middle Belt, where tensions between farming communities and armed herdsmen have led to recurring cycles of violence and displacement.
Content credit: Agbetan Bisola
Image credit: vanguardngr.com
