Fresh violence has erupted in Agatu Local Government Area of Benue State, where nine individuals, among them a police officer, were reportedly killed in a series of coordinated attacks carried out by suspected herdsmen.
The deadly assaults, which began late last week, have spanned multiple border communities near Kogi State, leaving a trail of fear and displacement in their wake.
According to local accounts, the attackers stormed four separate villages—Okwutanobe, Okpokpolo, Olegagbani, and Ikpele—over the course of four consecutive days, from Friday through Tuesday.
According to reports, the violence began at Okwutanobe last Friday, resulting in two fatalities. The following day, a resident of Okpokpolo was killed. The violence escalated on Monday when armed herders attacked Olegagbani, taking another life. The deadliest incident occurred on Tuesday in Ikpele, where five more victims, including a police officer, were killed.
“Yesterday, Monday, the armed herders invaded Olegagbani, where they killed one person; today, the same armed herders attacked Ikpele, where they killed one police officer and four people. As we speak, people are fleeing their homes,” the source recounted grimly.
Confirming the spate of attacks, the Chairman of Agatu Local Government Area, Melvin Ejeh, acknowledged the mounting toll. He revealed that four individuals were killed across Okwutanobe, Okpokpolo, and Olegugbani, while five additional lives—including a law enforcement officer—were lost in Ikpele on Tuesday alone.
Ejeh expressed outrage at the attacks, characterizing them as retaliatory in nature. “We totally condemn these attacks, and I think it was a reprisal for their earlier report of cattle rustling in Agatu communities. We are appealing to them to give the government time to investigate the alleged rustling instead of taking the law into their hands,” he said.
Despite the swift response by security operatives, the chairman lamented that the geography of Agatu severely hampers efforts to address emergencies in a timely fashion. He noted that the largely unmotorable roads delay reinforcement and leave vulnerable communities at the mercy of their assailants.
“You know the roads in Agatu are bad; even when the security men receive distress calls, it can take them up to four hours to navigate some areas due to the bad terrain. By then, the armed herders would have wreaked havoc and left,” Ejeh explained.
The Benue State Police Command Public Relations Officer, Udeme Edet, was unable to provide an official confirmation of the incident at the time the report was filed but promised to respond to the inquiry once more information became available.
As residents continue to flee the affected areas in search of safety, the latest round of violence has reignited concerns over the persistent insecurity in Benue’s border regions and the recurring tensions between farming communities and herders.
What You Should Know
Agatu Local Government Area in Benue State has once again come under siege, with nine people killed, including a police officer, in a series of suspected herder attacks across four border communities.
Authorities believe the assaults may be in retaliation for reported cattle rustling, and local officials warn that poor road conditions are significantly hampering the effectiveness of security responses.
