Tension has gripped Benue South following a fresh assault by suspected armed herders in Ohimini Local Government Area, leaving scores feared dead, over 30 persons missing, and several farming settlements deserted.
The violent invasion comes amid a surge in retaliatory attacks across the Benue South senatorial district following the murder of the Benue State Chairman of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), Alhaji Ardo Risku Mohammed, who was recently ambushed while returning from a peace meeting in the area.
Midnight Invasion & Missing Villagers
According to local community sources and eye-witnesses, the assailants struck rural settlements in Ohimini under cover of darkness, firing indiscriminately at residents asleep in their homes before setting farmlands and housing structures ablaze:
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Heavy Casualties: Community members report multiple fatalities recovered from local bushes and farmlands, with several victims sustaining severe gunshot wounds.
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Mass Displacement & Missing Persons: At least 30 individuals—predominantly women, children, and elderly farmers—remain unaccounted for, prompting emergency local search-and-rescue teams to comb surrounding forest tracks.
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Desperate Exodus: Hundreds of displaced residents have fled ancestral homes to seek temporary shelter in neighboring Otukpo urban centers and makeshift camps.
Summary of Recent Incidents in Benue South
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ BENUE SOUTH SECURITY INCIDENTS │
├────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ • Flashpoint Area : Ohimini & Otukpo LGAs, Benue State │
│ │
│ • Initial Catalyst : Ambush & murder of MACBAN State Chairman │
│ Ardo Risku Mohammed after an Ohimini peace summit.│
│ │
│ • Casualties : Multiple dead across Akpachi, Otukpo-Nobi, and │
│ Ohimini border farming hubs; 30+ missing. │
│ │
│ • Humanitarian Risk : High displacement, destroyed food storage units, │
│ and disruption of ongoing agricultural season. │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
(Sources: Benue State Security Reports & Community Leaders’ Briefings)
Youth Protests & Government Response
The wave of violence triggered widespread anger across the region, with aggrieved youths carrying recovered corpses to major transit junctions and community palaces to demand immediate military deployment and an end to impunity.
Reacting to the ongoing attacks, Benue State Governor Hyacinth Alia condemned the violence as a cowardly assault on agrarian communities during peak farming season:
“These barbaric attacks on innocent farmers returning to their ancestral lands are unacceptable… We have directed joint security teams to reinforce operations in Ohimini, Otukpo, and surrounding corridors to hunt down the perpetrators and secure lives.” — Gov. Hyacinth Alia
Joint detachments of the Nigerian Army, Nigeria Police Force, and local vigilante groups have been deployed to patrol vulnerable border corridors and restore order.
Ayodele Quadri
Correspondent
