Reported By Mary Udezue | Edited by: Gabriel Osa
In a grim development in central Nigeria’s ongoing cycle of rural violence, residents of the Turan District in Kwande Local Government Area of Benue State were plunged into mourning this week after a fresh attack by suspected armed herders claimed the lives of two local farmers and forced scores of others from their homes. The latest violence has underscored the escalating insecurity in the predominantly agricultural region, where clashes between nomadic pastoralists and settled farming communities have become increasingly frequent and deadly.
The assault unfolded on Wednesday afternoon, when armed assailants riding into various villages in the Turan District, including Imande Avur, Abande and Mbaikyor, opened fire and sowed panic among residents tending to their farms. Among the dead were identified as Elder Abur Alam and his son, Ikyaa Bashi, both described by neighbours as peaceful farmers who were killed while working the land that sustains their families and broader community.
Eyewitnesses and local leaders told journalists that the attack triggered an immediate flight of people from their homes into nearby bushes and forest enclaves, as families with young children, the elderly and other vulnerable residents fled under a cloud of fear. “Two innocent farmers were killed, several people have been displaced, and fear has taken over the entire area,” said Lawrence Akerigba, a former councillor in Kwande LGA and a vocal advocate for greater security protections for rural communities.
The violence in Turan District is not isolated. According to residents and local leaders, the area has been the scene of sustained attacks over recent weeks, marked by daily threats, shootings and harassment by armed men believed to be herders. These incidents have disproportionately affected farming families, threatening their livelihoods, disrupting food production and forcing widespread abandonment of ancestral lands that have supported generations of Tiv farmers.
Security forces in Benue State have historically struggled to contain the violence. In the current incident, attempts by reporters to reach the Police Public Relations Officer for the Benue State Command for confirmation or comment yielded no immediate response, with officials reportedly yet to receive formal reports of the attack at the time of filing. This lack of timely communication has fuelled frustration among residents and advocacy groups, who say that repeated attacks have gone unchallenged and unpunished.
The broader context of herder‑farmer conflict in Benue is rooted in long‑standing disputes over land, water and access to grazing routes. As climate change, desertification and population pressures drive more pastoralists southward in search of pasture, tensions with settled agrarian communities have sharpened. Benue, often described as the “food basket” of Nigeria, has been especially hard hit as farmers and herders vie for control of fertile land. Although not all herders are violent, armed groups have exploited these dynamics, escalating clashes with devastating consequences for civilians.
Over the past several years, a series of coordinated attacks by armed herders has resulted in significant loss of life and mass displacement across multiple local government areas in the state, including Guma, Logo, Ukum and Kwande. In a notable wave of violence in 2025, at least 23 people were killed across these four LGAs in attacks that also saw homes torched and food supplies looted, further destabilising rural communities struggling to sustain their livelihoods.
Local civil society organisations and community leaders have repeatedly called for action from both state and federal authorities to address the grim pattern of insecurity, but progress has been slow, and many residents feel abandoned. Women’s groups in some affected areas previously staged peaceful protests to demand protection for farming families, citing years of unrelenting violence and lamenting the lack of effective government intervention.
The humanitarian fallout from these ongoing conflicts is significant. Displaced residents often flee with few possessions, seeking refuge in makeshift camps or with relatives in neighbouring towns. Access to basic services such as healthcare, clean water and education becomes severely constrained, compounding the suffering of already vulnerable households. In regions like Turan, where agriculture is the primary economic activity, the disruption of planting and harvest cycles threatens long‑term food security and economic stability.
Political leaders and commentators have acknowledged the complexity of the crisis, which intertwines issues of land management, ethnic identity, economic survival and rural marginalisation. However, critics argue that the response from Abuja and state capitals has been uneven, with security deployments often failing to provide lasting protection or to stem the flow of violence. There are also concerns that narratives around herder‑farmer clashes can sometimes obscure the deeper structural drivers of conflict, such as poverty, weak governance, and competition over diminishing natural resources.
For residents of the Turan District and similar communities across Benue, these realities translate into daily fear and uncertainty. Families who once farmed peacefully now weigh the risks of tending their fields against the threat of attack. Some choose to leave their villages indefinitely, joining a growing population of internally displaced persons within Nigeria’s Middle Belt. Others remain, determined to protect their land and livelihoods despite the danger.
As the crisis persists, calls for a comprehensive strategy to address rural insecurity have gained traction among policymakers, advocacy groups and international observers. Proposed measures range from beefing up rural policing and early‑warning systems to mediating land use agreements and investing in conflict resolution mechanisms that include both pastoralist and farming communities. Yet without effective implementation and sustained political will, many fear that the cycle of violence will continue to exact a heavy toll on Nigeria’s agrarian heartland.
For now, the people of Turan District mourn the loss of two of their own, while grappling with the broader spectre of insecurity that has shadowed their communities for years. The latest attack serves as a stark reminder of the urgent need for peace and protection in rural Nigeria, where the livelihoods and lives of ordinary citizens hang in the balance.
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