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By Tracy Moses
Benue: Edikwu Ankpali, a once peaceful community in Apa Local Government Area of Benue State, was gripped by sorrow on Monday morning as residents gathered to bury eleven members of a single family, all victims of a brutal Sunday evening attack allegedly carried out by suspected herdsmen. The massacre is the latest in a series of violent incidents plaguing Nigeria’s Middle Belt, leaving communities devastated and in mourning.
According to reports by Pointblanknews.com, the attackers stormed the village without warning, unleashing gunfire on unsuspecting residents and setting homes ablaze. By the time the rampage ended, more than 25 people were reported killed, dozens sustained injuries, and several others were abducted. Survivors recounted that the attack lasted for hours, with no immediate intervention from security forces despite numerous distress calls.
As mourners watched the bodies of the eleven family members lowered into the earth, the grief in the air was overwhelming. Cries of anguish pierced the silence, and many clutched one another for comfort. Among them was Ben Ekah, who lost several loved ones in the attack.
“We are shattered. Today, we bury eleven of our own. This is a pain that words cannot express. What crime did they commit other than farming on their ancestral land? Mothers, children, breadwinners, all gone in a flash,” Ekah told Pointblanknews.com, his voice choked with emotion.
“They Killed My Entire Family”
Eunice Ado, a 34-year-old widow who survived the attack with a gunshot wound to her arm, recounted the horror of the night and her desperate escape.
“I was with my husband and our two sons when the shooting began. We tried to run, but they shot my husband as he shielded the children. He died instantly. I hid in the bush for hours. When I finally returned, my sons were gone. I have nothing left,” she said through tears.
Other survivors offered similarly harrowing testimonies. Iorliam Tersoo, a local farmer, said he counted no fewer than 15 bodies scattered across the village.
“This is not just an attack. It is extermination. Our villages are becoming graveyards. If the government will not help us, who will?” he asked, visibly angry.
Edikwu, located just a few kilometers from Ugbokpo, the headquarters of Apa Local Government Area, has suffered repeated assaults over the past two years. However, residents say the scale and brutality of this latest incident are unlike anything they have witnessed before.
Speaking to Pointblanknews.com, Chief James Eje, a traditional leader in the area, accused the government of abandoning the people to their fate.
“We have written letters, we have staged peaceful protests, and we have buried our dead in silence. But our silence has been mistaken for weakness. Our people are dying like flies, and the government is watching. This is genocide in slow motion,” he said with deep frustration.
Efforts to reach the Benue State Police Command were unsuccessful, as the authorities did not respond to multiple inquiries. As of the time of filing this report, no official statement had been issued regarding this particular incident.
A retired military officer who spoke on condition of anonymity said the killings in Benue are part of a broader national failure to protect rural communities from the growing menace of non-state armed groups. Once seasonal, the herder-farmer conflicts have become increasingly deadly and well-organized, driven by a toxic combination of ethnic tension, land disputes, and a weakened security infrastructure.
Terhemba Utsaha, a human rights activist and conflict researcher based in Makurdi, called for urgent government action.
“This massacre should be a turning point. The government must end the culture of impunity that allows these crimes to go unpunished. Those responsible must be brought to justice,” he stated firmly.
As dusk settled over the grieving community of Edikwu, the wails of the bereaved still echoed through the air. Makeshift shelters were erected for the displaced, while many villagers fled to neighboring communities, uncertain of what the future holds.
For now, Edikwu mourns in silence, clinging to hope that someone, somewhere, will hear their cries and act.