Tensions are escalating in Benue State as suspected Fulani herdsmen have openly defied a 14-day quit notice issued by traditional rulers, refusing to vacate the state’s farmlands despite a surge in deadly attacks.

The ultimatum, jointly issued by the Tor Tiv and Chairman of the Benue State Traditional Council, His Royal Majesty Prof. James Iorzua Ayatse, and the Och’Idoma, His Royal Majesty Chief John Elaigwu Odogbo, was delivered during a town hall meeting at the New Banquet Hall of the Government House in Makurdi. The directive, set to expire on June 13, was aimed at curbing the persistent violence, displacement, and destruction allegedly linked to armed herders.

However, rather than easing tensions, the notice appears to have sparked defiance and further bloodshed. In recent days, more than 25 people were reportedly killed in Edikwu Ankpali, with several others losing their lives in a separate attack in Naka. Both incidents have been blamed on suspected herdsmen.

The escalating violence has triggered widespread outrage and protests across Benue, with angry residents calling on the federal government to declare a state of emergency to restore law and order.

Amid the rising hostility, a young man identified only as Ibrahim—believed to be a Fulani herdsman—released a viral video on social media condemning the traditional rulers’ directive. In the video, Ibrahim dismissed the quit notice as “a joke” and called for dialogue rather than division.

“Take it or leave it, fighting each other will never solve the problems in Benue State,” he said. “This is coming from a young Fulani man—I’m Ibrahim, and I’m not joking.”

He further argued that many Fulani people were born and raised in Benue and should not be asked to leave.

“Both the tribes living in Benue—Tiv, Idoma, Fulani—we need to organize a meeting involving all traditional rulers, both Fulani and indigenous. That’s the only way forward. Asking Fulani people to leave the state is unacceptable and can’t happen,” Ibrahim said.

He urged traditional leaders to seek peaceful dialogue and long-term solutions to the state’s security crisis, warning that continued conflict would only deepen the suffering of all communities.

Meanwhile, the state government and security agencies are under increasing pressure to act decisively before the quit notice deadline lapses, as fear and uncertainty grip residents in affected communities.