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By Tracy Moses
No fewer than 23 persons have been reportedly killed following renewed coordinated attacks by suspected armed herdsmen across four Local Government Areas of Benue State, Kwande, Logo, Guma, and Ukum, between Friday and Saturday of May, 2025.
A breakdown of the fatalities indicates that Logo LGA recorded nine deaths, Ukum eight, while Kwande and Guma recorded three each.
Credible sources told Pointblanknews.com that there is growing fear of fresh attacks, particularly in Yelwata, a volatile border community in Guma LGA, amidst threats from herders believed to be planning further assaults within the week.
A public affairs analyst in the state, Tivta Aondohemba, described the threat as real and urgent. He warned that Yelwata, which shares boundaries with the Giza Development Area of Nasarawa State, is particularly vulnerable and could be the next target if security agencies fail to act.
Residents of the affected communities disclosed that, in addition to the killings, several houses were set ablaze by the rampaging herders, leaving many families displaced and properties destroyed.
While the Benue State Commissioner for Information, Mathew Aboh, and the Founder of Dr. Ray Anumve Foundation (DRAF), Dr. Raymond Anumve, confirmed the incidents in Ukum and Kwande respectively, efforts to reach the Chairmen of Guma and Logo LGAs for comments proved unsuccessful as of press time.
Aboh confirmed that eight farmers were gruesomely murdered Saturday morning of 10th May 2025 in Jootar, Ukum LGA, while on their way to the farm. He expressed concern that the attack occurred despite the presence of multiple security checkpoints within the area.
In Kwande LGA, Dr. Anumve confirmed that Friday’s attacks targeted multiple villages in the Turan axis, carried out by assailants suspected to be a combined force of Fulani herdsmen and Jukun-speaking militants.
According to him, “The attacks occurred on May 9, 2025, across several locations in the Turan area. In Mbaav Clan of Mbadura Council Ward near Tse Yande, assailants crossed River Katsina-Ala and killed a farmer, Mr. Iorpuu Ornguga. His son and brother sustained serious injuries and are currently receiving treatment at a facility in Jato-Aka.”
He added that in Anwase, Mkomon Area, Mbaikyor Council Ward, a man identified as Mr. Iortsor, father of a staff at the Benue State University Teaching Hospital, Makurdi, was also killed.
Dr. Anumve said that attackers spoke Fulfulde and Jukun, a detail shared by several eyewitnesses, and lamented that the casualty figure remains unclear due to widespread displacement and missing persons.
“In another disturbing case at Waya, Yaav Council Ward, a commercial motorcyclist was shot in the abdomen, leaving his intestines exposed. He is being treated at a clinic in Jato-Aka. That area has also faced sustained harassment, with attackers reportedly seizing motorcycles,” he added.
He noted that the assailants took advantage of the dry spell in the River Katsina-Ala and reduced water levels due to controlled releases from Kashimbila Dam to cross undetected and unleash terror.
Meanwhile, tension remains palpable in Yelwata, Nyiev Council Ward of Guma LGA, as local sources report increasing movement of armed Fulani militias from Nasarawa State into the area.
Speaking to Pointblanknews.com, Aondohemba disclosed that some local farmers observed groups of herders crossing into Guma territory, raising fears of a possible mass attack.
A local youth confirmed that a young man from the area was brutally macheted on May 8, allegedly by Fulani militants. The victim is currently receiving treatment at a government hospital in Makurdi.
According to him, credible warnings from neighboring Nasarawa communities have heightened the alarm, with intelligence indicating that the armed group is regrouping for another offensive.
The residents are now calling on Governor Hyacinth Alia, Guma LGA Chairman, Hon. Maurice Orwough, and all relevant authorities to swiftly intervene and forestall what they fear could become another massacre akin to the Agatu killings.