Benue Violence: 23 Killed in Fresh Attacks Across Four LGAs

No fewer than 23 people have been confirmed dead following a series of violent attacks in four local government areas of Benue State between Friday and Saturday.

The affected LGAs include Logo, Ukum, Kwande, and Guma, with residents and local sources attributing most of the killings to suspected armed herders, though the exact identities of the attackers remain unclear in some cases.

In one of the most brutal incidents, eight farmers were reportedly butchered in the early hours of Saturday in Jootar, a community in Ukum LGA located along the volatile Benue-Taraba border. Sources told Saturday PUNCH that the victims, who had slept over in the area, were ambushed while heading to their farms at daybreak.

Jootar, which lies between the Tiv and Jukun ethnic groups, has long been plagued by communal tensions, fueling speculation over the identity of the perpetrators. “We cannot say who exactly carried out the attack—whether it was armed herders or Jukun militia,” a local source told our correspondent on condition of anonymity.

On Friday, nine persons were reportedly killed during another attack in Ayilamo, Logo LGA, by assailants believed to be armed herders. Similar coordinated violence was reported in Kwande and Guma LGAs, where three persons were killed in each area.

The latest attacks have raised fresh concerns over the state’s persistent insecurity and the growing frequency of rural killings.

Benue State Commissioner for Information, Mathew Abo, confirmed the killings in Ukum LGA but said the state government had yet to verify the other reported deaths.

“The report I received is that eight farmers were killed in Jootar in the early hours of Saturday while heading to their farms,” Abo said. “But we cannot say for sure who was behind the attack, considering that Jootar is a border area with a history of conflict between the Tiv and Jukun ethnic groups.”

Efforts to get confirmation or further details from the Benue State Police Command proved abortive, as the command’s spokesperson, Catherine Anene, did not respond to multiple calls or text messages as of the time of filing this report.

The fresh wave of violence underscores the fragile security situation in many rural communities across Benue, where recurring clashes between farmers and herders, and inter-ethnic tensions, continue to result in mass casualties and displacement.