18 Killed as Fresh Suspected Herdsmen Attacks Rock Benue Community, Youths Stage Protest

By Johnson Arua

No fewer than 18 persons were reportedly killed in separate attacks by suspected armed herdsmen on communities in Otukpo Local Government Area of Benue State over the weekend, triggering violent protests by angry youths and renewed concerns over the deteriorating security situation in the state.

The attacks reportedly began on Friday when gunmen invaded Akpachi village in the Ugboju community and killed two farmers on their farmland. Their bodies were recovered on Saturday and buried. Barely 24 hours later, at about 4 a.m. on Sunday, the attackers struck again at Otukpo-Nobi community, where at least 16 persons, including women and children, were reportedly killed, while several others sustained injuries.

The latest bloodshed comes barely two weeks after the murder of the Benue State Chairman of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), Alhaji Ardo Risku Mohammed, and his associate, Yakubu Isah, who were ambushed and killed near Okutu community while returning from a peace meeting in Ohimini Local Government Area.

The killings sparked outrage across Otukpo as angry youths carried the bodies of the victims to the palace of the Och'Idoma during an ongoing church service, demanding urgent action to halt the recurring attacks.

Chanting solidarity songs, the protesters barricaded major roads leading into and out of the town, leaving commuters stranded for several hours and bringing commercial activities to a standstill.

A resident, Ebi Adoyi, said the attacks had thrown the affected communities into mourning, alleging that entire families were wiped out.

According to him, one of his neighbours lost her elder sister and the woman's children in the assault, adding that the death toll could rise as searches for missing persons continued. He appealed to the Federal and Benue State Governments to deploy more security personnel to the area to forestall further attacks.

Confirming the incident, Chairman of Otukpo Local Government Area, Maxwell Ogiri, said the attacks appeared to be reprisals linked to the recent killing of the MACBAN chairman.

He explained that after the two farmers were killed in Akpachi on Friday, security operatives combed the surrounding bushes believing the attackers had fled, only for the gunmen to return in the early hours of Sunday to launch the deadly assault on Otukpo-Nobi community.

Ogiri said efforts were ongoing to evacuate survivors to safer locations and ensure they received medical attention, while additional security personnel had been deployed to the area. He also appealed for calm, noting that the local administration was working to prevent the protests from escalating into further violence.

Although the Benue State Police Command said it was yet to receive official details of the attacks, Governor Hyacinth Alia condemned the killings, describing them as barbaric, inhuman and a direct assault on the peace and stability of the state. In a statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Tersoo Kula, the governor vowed that his administration would not allow communities in Benue to become killing fields.

Governor Alia directed security agencies to intensify surveillance in vulnerable communities, collaborate with neighbouring states to track down the attackers, and ensure their arrest and prosecution. He also urged residents to provide credible intelligence to security agencies, while sympathising with the bereaved families and assuring the people that his administration remained committed to protecting lives and property across the state.