…Local Authorities Link Fresh Bloodshed to Murder of MACBAN Chairman, Peace Delegate Two Weeks Ago
By Franklin Adole
Benue State has been plunged into fresh grief following coordinated attacks by suspected armed Fulani herdsmen on communities in Otukpo Local Government Area, with local authorities and residents linking the killings to the murder of the state chairman of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), Alhaji Ardo Risku Mohammed, and his companion during a peace mission two weeks ago.
No fewer than 18 people were killed in the latest attacks, while several others sustained injuries and many residents fled their homes, reigniting fears of escalating reprisals in the state.
The renewed violence came as Governor Hyacinth Alia ordered security agencies to track down and prosecute those responsible, even as angry youths flooded major roads in Otukpo, accusing the authorities of failing to halt the cycle of bloodshed.
Sources within the affected communities told KTH Daily that the attacks appeared to be acts of vengeance following the killing of the MACBAN leader and Yakubu Isah, who were ambushed and murdered at Okutu community while returning from a peace meeting in Idekpa, Ohimini Local Government Area.
The first of the latest attacks occurred on Friday when gunmen invaded Akpachi village in Ugboju community, killing two farmers on their farmland. Their bodies were recovered the following day and buried.
Barely 24 hours later, at about 4 a.m. on Sunday, the assailants returned in larger numbers, storming Otukpo-Nobi community where they killed at least 16 residents, including women and children, and left many others with serious injuries.
The latest bloodshed sparked widespread outrage across Otukpo as youths carried the bodies of some victims to the palace of the Och’Idoma, disrupting an ongoing church service while demanding urgent government intervention.
The protesters, chanting war songs, barricaded major roads and streets in the town, leaving commuters stranded for several hours as they decried what they described as repeated failures by security agencies to protect vulnerable communities.
A resident, Ebi Adoyi, said the attacks had left families devastated, warning that the death toll could rise as search parties continued looking for missing persons.
“After killing two people in Akpachi on Friday, they attacked Otukpo-Nobi, killing 16 persons, including women and children. My neighbour lost her elder sister and her children in that attack,” he said.
Chairman of Otukpo Local Government Area, Maxwell Ogiri, confirmed the attacks and suggested they could be reprisals linked to the earlier killing of the Benue MACBAN chairman.
According to him, three farmers had gone to their farms in Akpachi when they were ambushed by the attackers, leaving only one survivor who alerted the community.
“We recovered the bodies on Saturday and buried them. We believed the attackers had fled after security operatives combed the surrounding bushes, but by about 4 a.m. on Sunday, they returned and besieged Otukpo-Nobi, killing many people and injuring several others,” Ogiri said.
He disclosed that the local council had begun relocating survivors to safer areas while working with security agencies to reinforce vulnerable communities.
Governor Alia, in a statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Sir Tersoo Kula, condemned the attacks, describing them as a brutal assault on innocent citizens and a direct threat to peace in Benue State.
He noted that the killings occurred despite sustained efforts by his administration, traditional rulers and security agencies to foster peaceful coexistence.
“These acts of mindless bloodshed are a direct attempt to sabotage the progress of our state,” the governor said.
Alia assured residents that the government would not allow criminal elements to force communities into fear, insisting that Benue people would not surrender their ancestral lands to violence.
He directed security agencies to intensify surveillance, strengthen collaboration with neighbouring states, deploy additional personnel to vulnerable communities and ensure the immediate arrest and prosecution of those behind the attacks.
The governor also appealed to residents to support security agencies with credible intelligence, stressing that security remains a collective responsibility.
Meanwhile, fresh violence also erupted in neighbouring Plateau State, where gunmen attacked Kum and Wereng-Camp communities in Riyom Local Government Area late Saturday night.
Nine members of the same family, including a two-month-old baby, were killed after the attackers reportedly operated for more than an hour, shooting indiscriminately and forcing residents to flee into nearby bushes.
The village head was also said to have sustained critical injuries, while security personnel were later deployed to the affected communities as frightened residents called for stronger government action to halt the recurring attacks across the North-Central region.