A devastating attack occurred in Mbaikyor council ward of Turan, Kwande Local Government Area (LGA) in Benue State, where suspected herdsmen set fire to over 100 houses on Tuesday. The affected areas include Iyaaiwa, Kendev Ya, and Udeudeku, along the road to Anwase in Mbaikyor council ward.
According to local source James Akough, the herders also destroyed cassava farms and other valuable possessions left behind by residents who had fled due to previous attacks. Akough described the situation as critical, stating that “people have fled and left these properties which the herders came and destroyed again.”
This latest attack comes after a similar incident on December 24, 2024, when over 20 people were killed in Anwase Community, and a mass burial was conducted for them on January 8, 2025. Nyihemba Community, the heart of the council ward, remains under serious threat.
Efforts to obtain an official response from the Benue State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP) Sewuese Anene, were unsuccessful. This attack is part of a larger pattern of violence in the region, which has been ongoing for years.