Suspected Cultists Kill Eight in Makurdi City, Targeting Compound That Gave Shelter to a Fleeing Member

Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.

A night of terror unfolded in the High Level district of Makurdi, the Benue State capital, in the early hours of Monday, May 11, 2026, when suspected cultists on motorcycles killed at least eight people in a calculated attack on a single compound, with local officials blaming the massacre on a rivalry that spilled across the town. The gunmen rode into Aliade Street around 2 a.m., moved straight to a specific house, and shot four people who were sleeping. When four others rushed out after the first shots, they were also killed. The coordinated assault, which also affected nearby Onitsha and Owerri streets, sent shockwaves through the city.

Residents said the attackers were organised. They arrived on motorcycles, knew exactly which house to target, and completed their operation before security forces could intervene. Panic spread quickly; many families fled their homes, and business owners shut their shops in fear of further violence. The victims’ bodies were later taken to the Benue State University Teaching Hospital and Madonna Hospital mortuaries. While Makurdi Local Government Area Chairman Joseph Keffi confirmed eight deaths, Benue State Commissioner of Police Ifeanyi Enemari gave a lower figure of six. The Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Edet Udeme, however, confirmed the incident, stating that the clash resulted in the death of six persons, and that a full investigation has commenced.

The trigger for the attack, investigators now believe, was a feud between rival cults that began on the other side of Makurdi. Keffi explained that a cult member from the North Bank area became involved in a dispute with his group and decided to hide with a friend in High Level. When the rival gang tracked him there, they did not find the intended target. Instead, they killed the people who gave him shelter. Keffi lamented that innocent people were paying the price for a conflict they knew nothing about, a pattern he said had become distressingly common in the state capital.

The latest bloodshed came barely a week after a similar attack in the Agwan Jukun suburb of Makurdi, where at least three people were killed. In that earlier assault, the attackers also moved with chilling precision, targeting specific individuals in a well‑coordinated operation, prompting residents to speak of insider information from within the community.

Keffi singled out a suspect identified only as “Odinaka” as a recurring source of terror. He accused the man of being a cult leader who had been arrested by police in the past, only to be later released. According to the chairman, Odinaka continues to operate and was believed to have been involved in the latest killings. “This is someone who was once apprehended by the police and later released. We just hope the police will do due diligence and get him arrested,” Keffi said, expressing concern that the same pattern of arrest and release would repeat itself. He added that the suspect was currently not in the state but that residents feared his return would bring further casualties.

The attack on Aliade Street has renewed calls for stronger security measures in Makurdi, where residents continue to express fears over recurring cult‑related violence. While Keffi said his local government had continued to collaborate with security agencies and vigilante groups, he noted that the attackers had once again escaped before arrests could be made. The Benue State Police Command has deployed tactical teams to track down those responsible and promised a full investigation, with Commissioner Enemari assuring residents that security operatives were fully mobilised.

In the cold light of Monday morning, a different picture emerged. What began as a fleeting hope for safety turned into a death sentence for eight people who never chose to be part of any cult. They were not marked men. They were not gang leaders. They were simply friends and relatives who opened their door to someone in trouble. In doing so, they became the target, and Makurdi was left to count yet another set of lives lost to a secret war fought on the city’s streets.

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