42 killed in fresh attacks in Benue

At least 42 people have reportedly been killed in a renewed armed invasion on four communities in the Gwer West Local Government Area of Benue State. Residents said on Monday that seven people were severely injured while two others were kidnapped following the renewed attacks carried out by armed invaders in the Gwer West rural […]

At least 42 people have reportedly been killed in a renewed armed invasion on four communities in the Gwer West Local Government Area of Benue State.

Residents said on Monday that seven people were severely injured while two others were kidnapped following the renewed attacks carried out by armed invaders in the Gwer West rural communities between Saturday and Sunday.

The residents said 20 people were killed in Aondona, 10 in Ahume, five in Tyolaha, and seven in Tse Orbiam communities of Gwer West LGA, bringing the total fatalities to 42, while two people were reportedly abducted during an incident in which a Catholic priest was shot near a military station in the area.

The incident, according to the witnesses, has forced many of them to flee their homes as the attacks now become a daily occurrence.

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A resident identified as Agatha told journalists via telephone that the attackers began their rampage around 5pm on Saturday in the Aondona community and continued into Sunday morning at Ahume village and the areas near Tse-Orbiam.

 “They killed women and even children as young as two years old,” Agatha said.

She added that, “A mobile policeman was also killed. People have deserted their homes. Naka Makurdi Road is no longer safe.”

She confirmed that a local search and rescue team recovered six more bodies on Monday morning, while the injured were taken to the General Hospital in Naka, the headquarters of Gwer West LGA.

“The attackers have taken over our communities. Farming, schooling, markets, and even churches have all shut down. The government must act now before it’s too late,” Agatha said.

Chairman of Gwer West LGA, Victor Ormin, confirmed the attacks and described the situation as genocide.

“This is not just an attack; this is genocide,” Ormin said during a telephone conversation with journalists in Makurdi.

“I buried five people on Sunday and five others were taken to the mortuary on Saturday. We have recovered 30 corpses. Now, we are talking about 40 or more people killed. This is genocide. Aondona was attacked Saturday evening, while Ahume was hit at 4am on Sunday. Tse-Orbiam, which is just three kilometers from a military checkpoint, was also attacked.”

He criticised the military’s inaction, saying they claimed not to have the mandate from the federal government to engage the attackers.

 Ormin added that a mobile policeman named Magaji, known for his dedication to duty, was killed during the attack after running out of ammunition.

Ormin explained that the attacked Aondona community is the hometown of prominent individuals, including former First Lady, Eunice Ortom, Tor Gwer, and the Bishop of Makurdi Catholic Diocese, Wilfred Anagbe.

Residents explained that the Gwer West LGA lies along the coastline of River Benue, bordering Agatu’s Fadama region and neighbouring Nasarawa State, an area which boasts of rich soil suitable for crop cultivation and abundant grasses that attract livestock rearing.

According to residents, the area’s fertile vegetation is the main reason attackers are forcefully displacing them to take over their land.

Spokesperson for the Benue State Police Command, CSP Catherine Anene, confirmed the incident.

“The police responded when the case of Aondoana was reported and three bodies were recovered and investigation is ongoing. Note also that a police man died defending one of the villages just a few hours before this incident in Gwer West LGA,” Anene posited.

 

Rising death toll from armed attacks in Benue hits 224 in 55 days

As of May 25, 2025, the killing of the 42 people in the latest attack on Gwer West LGA brings the total number of deaths from armed invasions in Benue State between April 1 and May 25 to at least 224, all within a span of just 55 days.

Locals believe the actual figures may be higher due to unreported incidents in remote and hard-to-reach communities.

In the meantime, the Tiv and Idoma Area Traditional Councils have separately ordered herders in their domains to vacate their cattle from farmlands in order for farmers to resume agricultural activities.

Barely 72-hours after the Tor Tiv, Prof James Ayatse’s led Tiv traditional council issued a 10-day ultimatum to herders to quit their areas, the Idoma Area traditional council and the nine Idoma local government council chairmen in Benue State have urged the state government to prevail on herders to vacate farmlands in order for farmers to resume agricultural activities.

The notice was contained in a communique signed by Adegbe Uloko Sunday, the Secretary, Idoma Area Traditional Council at the end of an emergency meeting of the Idoma Area Traditional Council and the Idoma Local Government Council Chairmen held at Och’Idoma’s Palace in Otukpo.

Meanwhile, Governor Alia has condemned the attacks on Tse-Orbiam and Ahume communities in Gwer West LGA, describing them as barbaric and unacceptable.

He also expressed sorrow over the shooting of Rev. Fr. Solomon Atongu by suspected herder militia along the Makurdi–Naka road.

In a statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Tersoo Kula, Governor Alia described the incident, which occurred just metres away from a military checkpoint, as a “Stark reminder of the lawlessness and insecurity plaguing the Makurdi-Naka axis.”

He directed security agencies to immediately go after the attackers and ensure the safe rescue of individuals kidnapped during the attack on Rev. Fr. Atongu.

 

MACBAN denies involvement

The State Secretary of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), Ibrahim Galma, has denied any involvement of their members in the killings of people in Benue rural areas, insisting that the acts were purely the handiwork of criminal elements.

Galma said, “The insecurity is quite a serious one because our members, too, are affected. We are also affected and facing similar challenges in all ramifications – our people are killed, our animals are also being killed.

“The insecurity going on in Benue is purely criminality and not herders responsible for the act.”

On the issue of ultimatum handed to herders to vacate farmlands in the state, the MACBAN Secretary said it was directed at bandits and not law abiding herders like them, noting that it was normal for those rearing cows to leave the farming communities at the onset of every rainy season.

“These days, it is because of climate change that the herders decided to settle around riverine space spanning through Agatu, Gwer West, Makurdi and Guma areas, among others. I think the traditional councils are asking for the cattle to vacate farms and notfor  herders to leave the state.

“As we speak, we are here (Benue) with our wives and children. So, there is no cause for alarm,” Galma said.

Retired Comptroller of Prisons, Chief Iorbee Ihagh, stressed the need for Governor Hyacinth Alia to liaise with the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu so that he can give directive to the military to clear the Benue area of bandits for farmers to return to their farms while the internally displaced persons go back to their ancestral homes.

Ihagh, who is also President General of Mdzough U Tiv (MUT), an umbrella body of the Tiv people worldwide, said that the only way out of the present insecurity in the state was for the federal government to issue a directive to security agents to drive invaders away.

Similarly, a retired officer of the Department of State Services (DSS), Orgem Angulum, has called on the government to urgently reclaim communities in Benue State that have been occupied by outlaws, to enable people live peacefully in their villages while displaced persons return to their ancestral homes.