Fresh Benue herdsmen attack in the Ohimini Local Government Area of Benue State has left multiple individuals feared dead and more than 30 people unaccounted for following repeated incursions by suspected armed herdsmen.
Reports from sources indicate that the assailants initially targeted the Ochobo community, where two residents were killed.
While an early attempt to raid the nearby Agadagba settlement was successfully pushed back by local villagers, the armed group launched a follow-up assault on Saturday evening, indiscriminately shooting at community members, inflicting casualties, and forcing dozens to flee into surrounding areas.
A local resident, contacting reporters while hiding from the attackers, recounted how the sudden nature of the raid caused widespread panic and sent community members scattering into neighboring thickets for safety.
According to the resident, fear erupted throughout the neighbourhood as residents fled into surrounding bushes to avoid the attacks, and many villagers’ locations remained unclear for hours after the tragedy.
The latest attack adds to a rising wave of violent assaults in portions of Benue State, where communities have been frequently targeted due to farmer-herder tensions.
Renewed herdsmen attack in Benue…
On July 14, residents of the Ondo community in Ugboju, located in the Otukpo Local Government Area of Benue State, fled their homes following a fresh attack by suspected armed herdsmen.
Reports indicate that the assailants stormed the area in the early morning hours and began shooting, forcing local residents to run for their lives.
According to Hon. Jimmy Nart, a local resident and the Labour Party candidate for the House of Assembly in the 2027 elections, the attack was still ongoing at the time of filing this report.
In a message, he wrote: “I just received information from my family that Fulani terrorists are currently attacking Ondo, Ugboju. Protect yourself.”
This latest attack comes only 48 hours after suspected armed herdsmen invaded the Otukpo-Nobi settlement in the same local government area, where they reportedly killed more than 18 people.
At the time of filing this report, the exact number of casualties from this recent raid could not be independently verified.
Read Also: Scores Feared Dead as Suspected Herdsmen Strike Again
Backstory…
The latest attack comes amid a renewed wave of violence in Benue State, where suspected armed herdsmen have repeatedly targeted farming communities despite ongoing military operations and increased security deployments.
In recent months, several local government areas, including Guma, Logo, Ukum, Katsina-Ala and Apa, have witnessed deadly assaults that have claimed dozens of lives, displaced thousands of residents and destroyed homes and farmlands.
The persistent attacks have reinforced Benue’s reputation as one of Nigeria’s worst-hit states in the country’s protracted farmer-herder conflict.
Read Also: ‘Our Blood Is Not Worthless’ – Idoma Diaspora Urges Tinubu to End Benue Killings
