Makurdi: Benue State was plunged into mourning over the weekend as a wave of violence swept through parts of the state, leaving more than 60 people dead in separate incidents involving suspected armed herdsmen and a communal clash.
In one of the deadliest attacks, over 46 persons were reportedly killed when armed herders launched coordinated assaults on communities in Apa and Gwer West Local Government Areas.
Meanwhile, a separate communal conflict between residents of Mbakine and Ojumole in Gwer East Local Government Area claimed at least 15 lives and led to the destruction of nearly 200 homes.
Eyewitnesses reported that the attack in Apa began on Sunday afternoon when herdsmen stormed Ijaha Ibele Ochekwu village, killing two people and injuring several others.
Later that evening, the assailants returned with greater force, launching a full-scale assault on Edikwu Ankpali community around 5 p.m.
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They shot and killed defenseless people, including women and children, who were running for safety,” a resident recounted.
As of now, 28 bodies have been recovered, and many others are in hospitals receiving treatment.
attacks and killing of Benue people recently
In a similar attack the same day, the marauding herdsmen descended on Tse Antswam in Naka, the headquarters of Gwer West LGA, around 7 p.m., opening fire indiscriminately. The community, which houses thousands of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), was thrown into chaos.
Eyewitnesses confirmed that the attack lasted roughly two hours, leaving at least 18 people dead and many others missing or critically injured.
Chief Daniel Abomtse, Chairman of the Gwer West Traditional Council, decried the repeated assaults on his people.
They came in a guerrilla style and attacked Tse Antswam, he said. We’ve recovered 18 corpses, and several others are battling for their lives.
Some people were butchered so badly that their chances of survival are slim.
Many fled into the bush or hid in wells.
Notably, the attacked community lies just opposite a military checkpoint along the Naka-Makurdi road, raising concerns about the security response.
In a separate tragedy, violence erupted in Gwer East LGA when a minor disagreement between two youths at a local market spiraled into a full-blown communal clash between the Tiv and Igede-speaking residents of Mbakine and Ojumole.
By the weekend’s end, at least 15 people had been killed and more than 200 homes in Ojumole were reduced to ashes.
Igede Youth Leader Andyson Egbodo expressed shock at the scale of the violence. “The Akpacha Council Ward, an Igede-speaking area, has lived peacefully with their Tiv neighbors for over a century.
No one expected this. It started as a simple disagreement on Friday but escalated by Saturday into full-scale destruction and loss of lives, including women and children.
Authorities and local leaders are calling for urgent intervention to stem the tide of violence and restore peace to the affected communities.
