Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
A fresh wave of terror swept through Benue State over the weekend, leaving at least four people dead and several others, including children, with severe injuries, as suspected armed herdsmen launched coordinated attacks on communities in Ohimini and Ukum Local Government Areas. The assaults, which occurred between Friday evening and Saturday night, have sparked fresh concerns over the worsening security situation in the state, with residents fleeing their homes and many still unaccounted for as local vigilantes and community members continue search operations.
The attacks began on Friday night in Elulu community, Ohimini LGA, where gunmen killed a young man and made away with his Bajaj motorcycle. The assailants then proceeded to the nearby Agadagba community in an attempt to rustle a large herd of cattle but were resisted by local youths. According to a resident who spoke to Vanguard, the attackers returned to Agadagba on Saturday at about 7 p.m. and opened fire indiscriminately on villagers, killing two persons and leaving several others with gunshot injuries. The attackers also struck Ochobo in the same LGA, where about four persons were shot, and Ogoli-Ugboju, where two persons were shot and many cows rustled.
The Chairman of Ohimini LGA, Gabriel Adole, confirmed that three persons had so far lost their lives in the council area following the coordinated assaults. “They attacked Elulu two days ago, killed somebody, attacked another person, and collected his Bajaj motorcycle. They also went to Agadagba that same day to rustle cows, but the youths resisted them. They shot one of the residents in the leg but failed to take the cattle. Yesterday (Saturday), they returned and killed two more persons,” Adole said. Two injured victims, including the owner of the stolen motorcycle and another victim attacked during the cattle rustling incident, are currently receiving treatment in the hospital.
In a separate but equally brutal incident in Ukum LGA, suspected armed herdsmen attacked Tse-Gbemshin in Mbazum, Mbaterem Council Ward, at about 2:30 a.m. on Saturday. A local source disclosed that a woman was killed during the raid, while her children sustained severe machete injuries and are currently receiving treatment at a hospital. “A mother was brutally killed while her children suffered deep machete cuts during the attack. The community is calling on the government and security agencies to investigate the incident, arrest those responsible, and strengthen security to prevent further attacks on innocent residents,” the source said.
Residents described the situation as dire, with many fleeing their communities for fear of being killed. “As we speak, this axis has become a dreaded area; people are fleeing their communities for fear of being killed. The armed herders attack at will and retreat into the forests. It is so sad that our people cannot have peace in their land anymore,” one resident lamented. The Council Chairman, however, assured that calm was gradually returning following the deployment of security personnel and mobilization of local vigilantes. “Normalcy is gradually returning because security personnel have been deployed. Governor Hyacinth Alia has mobilized all hands; the community vigilantes have also moved into the area because they are the ones who can easily access the difficult terrain where these attackers hide. They are on the ground now. The marauders cannot drive us away from our ancestral land,” Adole said.
The attacks come amid growing insecurity in Benue State, where farmer-herder conflicts have claimed hundreds of lives and displaced thousands. Governor Hyacinth Alia has previously condemned such attacks and ordered security agencies to launch manhunts for perpetrators and deploy additional personnel to vulnerable communities. The Inspector-General of Police had also ordered a 14-day security crackdown on illegal arms and criminal hideouts across Benue State as part of renewed efforts to curb insecurity. However, the weekend attacks suggest that criminal elements remain undeterred, raising urgent questions about the effectiveness of ongoing security operations.
As the communities of Ohimini and Ukum count their dead and tend to their wounded, the attacks serve as a grim reminder of the persistent insecurity that has plagued Benue State for years. For the residents of these communities, the question remains: how many more lives must be lost before the government takes decisive action to end the cycle of violence that has turned their ancestral lands into a killing field?
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