8 killed in attacks on Benue, Plateau communities

At least eight people have been killed in different attacks on communities in Benue and Plateau states. In Benue State, at least four people have been killed and two others declared missing following renewed attacks by armed invaders on multiple communities in the Logo Local Government Area of Benue State. The fresh attack, which spread […]

At least eight people have been killed in different attacks on communities in Benue and Plateau states.

In Benue State, at least four people have been killed and two others declared missing following renewed attacks by armed invaders on multiple communities in the Logo Local Government Area of Benue State.

The fresh attack, which spread across Tse Mku, Azaye, and Tse Jigam villages in Tombu Council Ward, has left residents in fear and farmlands abandoned despite the presence of security operatives in the area.

Locals told our correspondent that the attackers struck in succession between Sunday, August 24, and Tuesday, August 26, 2025.

They said that one victim, Saaondo Mundu Azaye, was killed on Sunday in Tse Azaye. On Monday, two others, identified as Kaananfam Nyamikume of Tse Jigam and Mson, a medicine seller, were gunned down while working on their farmlands near the Ayilamo settlement.

The locals added that on Tuesday morning, search parties from Ayilamo and surrounding communities recovered two more corpses near Tse Uza village, while two farmers remain unaccounted for.

Survivors also alleged that while combing the bushes, they were chased by the armed herders, forcing them to flee without recovering the missing persons.

The villagers further claimed the attackers are camping in nearby deserted settlements, including Tse Ibor, Tse Ukpukuru, and Anyibe, from where they launch fresh assaults.

“This situation requires urgent government attention. Our people can neither go to their farms nor move freely,” a resident lamented.

When contacted, the Benue State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Udeme Edet, confirmed two people were killed during the attacks on the rural villages.

Edet added that more security operatives had been deployed to the troubled communities, noting the return of calm.

In Plateau State, at least four people, including a vigilante leader, were killed and one other was injured in two separate attacks on two villages in the Butura district of Bokkos Local Government Area on Tuesday.

Sabastine Magit, President of the Butura Youth Movement (BYM), confirmed the incident to Daily Trust on Wednesday, explaining that the deceased included two men and two women.

The president described the incident as barbaric and called on security agencies to trail the perpetrators.

Magit said the first incident occurred near Maikatako village while the second one occurred near Butura Kampani village.

“The Butura Youth Movement (BYM) is deeply saddened by the recent spate of attacks on peaceful communities in the Butura district of Bokkos Local Government Area, Plateau State. In the past 24 hours, four of our members, including a dedicated female vigilante leader, have been murdered in separate incidents.

“Tragically, while returning from a mining camp where she volunteered to assist government security forces in protecting civilians involved in tin mining, Tawa was attacked and killed, along with another woman traveling with her on a motorcycle. The motorcycle driver was injured.

“Just a day before Tawa’s murder, two young vigilante volunteers were killed and another injured in nearby Maikatako village, further indicating a coordinated effort aimed at making our communities vulnerable,” the president said.

While appreciating the efforts of security agencies in the area, the president noted that the recent incident followed advanced warnings about planned attacks, which should have prompted a prompt investigation and increased patrols and surveillance in the Butura district and surrounding areas by law enforcement agencies.

He accused the herders of perpetuating the attacks.

But the leadership of the Miyeti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), Ibrahim Yusuf Babayo, denied the accusation, saying, “It is an allegation, but he doesn’t have any evidence to prove that the attacks were carried out by Fulani.”

The spokesperson for Operation Safe Haven, Major Samson Zhakom, and that of the State Police Command, DSP Alabo Alfred, have yet to respond to inquiries from our correspondent about the incident.