Community leaders and survivors in Benue State have recounted their harrowing experiences following a fresh wave of attacks by suspected armed herdsmen across 19 of the 23 local government areas of the state. Speaking to Hobnob News, they narrated how fear, death, displacement, and destruction have become their daily reality.
According to testimonies gathered, at least 489 people have been killed in the last month alone. Many of the victims were farmers whose homes and yam barns were torched by the invaders. Survivors said most of the attacks occurred at midnight and during the early hours of the morning, leaving little time for escape.
Decomposing bodies and skeletal remains of farmers who fled into the bush are still being recovered by youths desperately searching for missing relatives.
During a recent visit by National Security Adviser (NSA) Malam Nuhu Ribadu to the state, community leader and Ter Tyoshin of Gwer West LGA, His Royal Highness Daniel Abomtse, revealed that over 598 persons had been killed in his domain since attacks began in 2011.
“As a displaced monarch, all 15 districts under my watch have been ransacked. We now take refuge in Naka town, living on palliatives from the government,” Abomtse lamented.
He urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration to enforce the 2017 Anti-Open Grazing Prohibition and Ranches Establishment Law, warning that without stricter enforcement, peace would remain elusive.
Similarly, Ter Ukum, His Royal Highness Iyokyaa Kaave, whose community was attacked on Good Friday, said the Sankera axis—comprising Katsina-Ala, Ukum, and Logo LGAs—has been under siege for 15 years.
“Our people no longer farm, our children are out of school, and all basic infrastructure—schools, hospitals, markets—have been destroyed,” he said. “The highest revenue-generating area in the state has been crippled. We are now beggars in our own land, and due to widespread malnutrition, our women are giving birth to stunted children.”
Some survivors accused security forces of misconduct. Ternenge Shima from Gwer West LGA alleged that security personnel stationed in the crisis areas were extorting grieving families, charging up to N50,000 to escort them to bury their dead.
Youth leader of Mbaikyor, Igbawua Gandepun, further accused security forces stationed at Government Secondary School, Anwase, of raping women and young girls and extorting farmers and commuters.
Efforts by Hobnob News to get a reaction from Operation Whirl Stroke (OPWS) were unsuccessful. A phone call to the supposed spokesperson was met with reluctance, and no formal response had been received as of the time of filing this report.
Governor Hyacinth Alia, addressing the humanitarian crisis, confirmed that the number of official internally displaced persons (IDP) camps in the state had risen from 14 to 17 due to the unrelenting attacks. The Ministry of Humanitarian and Disaster Management also disclosed that 21 out of 23 local government areas are now under siege.
Governor Alia initially placed the death toll at 56 but updated the figure to 83 during Ribadu’s visit. He revealed that new attacks were ongoing even as he spoke, particularly in Afia community where 11 more bodies were recovered, bringing the grim total higher.
Describing the situation, Governor Alia said:
“These invasions are not random. They are well-coordinated with a clear agenda of forced occupation.”
While commending President Tinubu for standing with the people of Benue during their darkest times, the governor called for urgent federal intervention to prevent further loss of lives and land.
In another disturbing development, 19 passengers traveling along the Makurdi/Naka/Adoka Road were abducted by armed men on Thursday.
According to eyewitnesses, two commercial vehicles—a Picnic and a Sharon bus—carrying a total of 19 passengers were ambushed just three kilometers from Naka, Gwer West LGA.
Yakubu Onu, Secretary of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (High-Level Unit), confirmed that the vehicles belonged to their members.
One bus was traveling from Makurdi to Lokoja, Kogi State, while the other was returning from Ankpa to Makurdi.
Ter Tyoshin, HRH Daniel Abomtse, said that some spared passengers, including an elderly woman, a lactating mother, her two children, and a driver, were later released after reporting the incident to the police.
As fear deepens across Benue’s communities, many displaced persons have been forced into increasingly desperate conditions, with food scarcity, homelessness, and insecurity combining to create a worsening humanitarian disaster.
The people of Benue continue to call on the federal government for stronger action, while mourning their dead and hoping for an end to the bloodshed.
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