Tension has gripped Anwule community in Oglewu, Ohimini Local Government Area of Benue State following a deadly attack by suspected herdsmen on Monday. Several villagers are feared dead, while many others remain missing after the assailants reportedly ambushed farmers working on their fields.
Eyewitnesses said the attackers, armed with machetes and other dangerous weapons, invaded the community in broad daylight, killing indiscriminately and forcing survivors to flee into neighbouring villages for safety. Homes and farmlands were also said to have been abandoned as panic spread across the area.
Local sources told journalists that the assault caught the residents unawares, as most victims were busy harvesting their crops when the attackers struck. One resident described the scene as “horrifying,” adding that the community has been thrown into mourning.
Authorities have yet to confirm the exact number of casualties, but several reports indicate that bodies of the slain were recovered from farmlands and nearby bushes. Many families are still searching for missing relatives as of Tuesday morning.
Efforts to reach the Benue State Police Command for comment were unsuccessful, as calls to the Public Relations Officer were not returned at press time. However, community leaders have called for urgent intervention by security agencies to prevent further bloodshed.
The latest attack adds to a disturbing pattern of violence between farmers and herders in Benue State and other parts of Nigeria’s Middle Belt, where competition over land and grazing routes has frequently turned deadly.
Residents of Anwule are appealing to both state and federal authorities to deploy more security personnel to the area and provide relief materials for displaced families now seeking refuge in neighbouring communities.
