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By Tracy Moses
The sun had barely risen over the tranquil hills of Ukum Local Government Area (LGA) in Benue State, but by the time it set on Friday, April 18, 2025, the region was steeped in blood and despair. Over 80 lives were claimed in a brutal assault by armed herdsmen, escalating the ongoing nightmare that has gripped this once peaceful region.
The harrowing violence, launched with a brutal precision, began earlier that week and swept through Ukum and neighboring communities, leaving a trail of devastation.
Local sources revealed to Pointblank News that more than 300 herdsmen, armed with sophisticated weaponry, descended upon the peaceful villagers with a ferocity not seen in years. Entire communities, particularly the town of Chito have been left in ruins.
Eyewitnesses recall the nightmare: houses were set ablaze, innocent civilians slaughtered in their homes, and families desperately fleeing their villages, only to be trapped by the onslaught. Amid the chaos, screams echoed through the night as residents tried to escape the wrath of attackers who showed no mercy.
The assault comes on the heels of a struggle by Benue State under a deepening security crisis. The Sankera region, encompassing Ukum, Logo, and Katsina-Ala LGAs, has long been a battleground for ethnic tensions and resource-based conflicts.
Today, the violence has escalated into something more ominous. Herder-farmer disputes, once manageable, have morphed into a systematic and coordinated insurgency, threatening the very fabric of the region’s identity.
In the heart of the chaos, Ukum’s residents have found themselves victims of a battle they neither provoked nor deserve. Military and law enforcement resources, already overstretched and under-equipped, are struggling to keep pace with the scale of the attacks.
Eyewitnesses speak of moments of unbearable horror.
A middle-aged woman who identified herself simply as Mbafan, who narrowly escaped the carnage, recounts how her house was set on fire while she and her children were inside.
“I thought we were going to die,” she says, tears streaming down her face as she recalls the terrifying minutes that felt like hours.
The death toll continues to rise as more bodies are discovered in the wake of the attacks.
On Friday, unconfirmed reports suggested that over 80 people had died in just one of the villages alone. Yet, official statements from the Benue State Government have downplayed the scale of the violence, with Commissioner for Information, Mathew Aboh, reporting only five fatalities.
The disparity between local authorities’ accounts and eyewitness testimonies has only fueled growing alarm and frustration among the residents, many of whom feel abandoned by the very authorities meant to protect them.
Speaking with Pointblank News, Elder Pharoah Acka, a community leader from Logo LGA, paints a grimmer picture of the situation.
“The death toll is certainly higher than what’s being reported. People are still recovering bodies from the bloody attack,” he says.
The sheer scale of the attacks has left residents reeling, with many fleeing their homes in fear. Pickup trucks loaded with the displaced have been seen heading toward safer zones as entire villages are abandoned, their inhabitants left with little hope of ever returning.
As military helicopters circle the skies and aerial bombardments target the attackers, the region remains on edge. A joint military and security force, comprising the Nigerian Army, the Nigeria Police Force, and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), has been deployed to Ukum. But despite these efforts, the situation on the ground remains dire, with residents reporting little to no relief.
This latest wave of violence comes in the wake of a security situation that has become increasingly volatile. While herders have long been a threat in the area, their recent attacks are far more calculated and coordinated.
Local authorities have speculated that these assaults may be part of a broader, more organized insurgency, aimed at destabilizing the region and asserting control. But with so much uncertainty and the region’s resources stretched to their breaking point, it is unclear who is pulling the strings behind these increasingly sophisticated attacks.
Retired Commissioner of Police, Iorbee Ihagh and President General of the Mzough U Tiv (MUT), has condemned the violence in the strongest possible terms.
“These acts of terror are not just attacks on individual communities; they are attacks on the very soul of our people,” Ihagh said in a statement. “We will not rest until justice is done, and the perpetrators are brought to account.”
The echoes of grief reverberate through Ukum and Logo LGAs as families mourn their loved ones lost to violence they could not have predicted. As the bodies of the dead are recovered from charred remains and mutilated corpses, the call for justice grows louder.
In a poignant statement of condolence, the MUT President General extended sympathy to the victims’ families, urging both the government and security agencies to ramp up their efforts in protecting the people of Benue State.
“We cannot allow this madness to continue. This is a moment that calls for collective action. The people of Benue deserve peace, and it is our duty to ensure they get it,” Ihagh stated, adding that the people must remain vigilant and share vital information with authorities to help root out those responsible.