Fresh herdsmen attacks leave several people dead in Benue despite military assurances

Fresh waves of violence struck Benue State on Monday evening as suspected herdsmen launched coordinated attacks in Agatu and Apa Local Government Areas (LGAs), resulting in multiple fatalities and sparking renewed fears among already displaced communities.

In Agatu LGA, one Sunday Dutse, a native of Odejo and the younger brother of a former local government chairman, was brutally killed along the Odugbeho-Ogbaulu road.

Sources revealed that Dutse had previously fled his ancestral home following an earlier herdsmen invasion and had been taking refuge in the nearby community of Ogwule-Kaduna, also within Agatu LGA, before falling victim to the latest attack.

Earlier on the same day, a separate assault occurred in EdikwG’Icho, a community in neighboring Apa LGA, where three young men were ambushed and killed by gunmen believed to be herdsmen. According to local sources, two of the victims were natives of EdikwG’Icho, while the third was from Ugbokpo, the administrative headquarters of Apa LGA.

The fresh bloodshed comes just days after a high-level security delegation, including the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), visited the state and assured residents of ramped-up military operations to stem the tide of insecurity plaguing Benue’s agrarian communities.

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Despite those assurances, residents are once again grappling with fear and grief as the cycle of violence continues unabated.

Community leaders in both LGAs have condemned the attacks and are calling on both the federal and state governments to match words with action.

“The security promises are not translating into safety for our people,” said a local youth leader in Agatu who asked not to be named. “We are losing lives on a daily basis. These communities need more than visits—they need actual protection.”

Monday’s twin attacks add to the growing list of violent incidents linked to suspected herdsmen across Benue, a state that has remained on the frontline of Nigeria’s protracted farmer-herder conflict.

Thousands have been displaced in the last decade, with villages regularly attacked and farmland destroyed.

While military and police authorities have yet to issue an official statement on the latest incidents, local vigilante groups and community volunteers have begun search-and-rescue efforts in the affected areas.

The Benue State government has also not responded officially, but pressure is mounting from civil society organizations and rights advocates who demand urgent, coordinated intervention to prevent further loss of life and property.

As of Tuesday morning, tension remains high across Agatu and Apa, with many residents fearing retaliatory attacks or further escalation of violence in the coming days.