At least ten people have lost their lives following a series of attacks by suspected armed herdsmen on communities within the Otukpo Local Government Area of Benue State.
Reports obtained by sources indicate that the violence began on Saturday when the armed group struck Akpachi village in the Ugboju community, leaving two individuals dead and several others with various injuries.
Less than twenty-four hours later, during the early hours of Sunday, the attackers struck again. This time, they invaded the Otukpo Nobi neighborhood, killing eight more people and leaving numerous others wounded.
These fresh attacks come exactly one month after unknown assailants killed Alhaji Ardo Risku Mohammed, the Benue State Chairman of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), and his associate Yakubu Isah. The duo was killed in the Okwudu area of Otukpo Local Government Area while returning from a peace meeting in Ohimini LGA.
Protesters storm Och’Idoma’s palace with corpses
The latest violence sparked immediate protests from angry residents and youths. The demonstrators marched to the Och’Idoma Palace in Otukpo town to condemn the collapsing security situation and demand urgent intervention from the government.
Demonstrators carrying the bodies of the victims killed in the fresh attacks stormed the palace of the Och’Idoma, His Royal Majesty Agabaidu Elaigwu John Odogbo, the supreme monarch of the Idoma nation.
Enraged by the killings, the youth dragged the victims’ bodies to the palace gates to voice their grievances and demand that the Federal Government, the Benue State Government, and security agencies take immediate action to halt the relentless violence in Benue South.
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Backstory…
The latest bloodshed is part of a disturbing pattern of recurring attacks that have plagued Benue State for years, particularly in farming communities frequently targeted by suspected armed herders.
In recent months, the state has witnessed repeated mass killings in local government areas including Guma, Logo, Gwer West, Apa, Agatu and Ukum, with hundreds of residents reportedly killed or displaced. The ongoing violence has razed entire villages, forced communities to abandon their farmlands, and driven thousands of residents into internally displaced persons (IDP) camps—deepening an already severe humanitarian crisis.
The most gruesome attack recorded between June 2025 and 2026 is the Yelwata attack that claimed over hundred lives.
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