At least five individuals have lost their lives in a new assault on Udeku Maav-Ya community, located in Kwande Local Government Area (LGA) of Benue State.
Eyewitnesses reported that the attack took place on Tuesday around 4:00 p.m. and was allegedly carried out by armed herders while local farmers were harvesting yams and bambara nuts on their farms.
Akerigba Lawrence, a former Supervisory Councillor in Kwande LGA, confirmed the incident, stating that the community was caught by surprise.
He revealed that among those killed were Tyozua Gyuse, Gbaga Gyuse, and Tersuur Ijighka, while the identities of two additional victims remain unverified as search efforts continue for other missing persons.
Lawrence said that the repeated assaults have left residents living in constant fear. He claimed that armed men often open fire as early as 4:00 a.m., restrict access to riverbanks, and destroy crops, houses, and economic trees.
He added that schools, churches, and markets in the area have been forced to close, with residents expressing frustration over what they perceive as the government’s inaction despite repeated appeals.
“We have not seen this number of herders in our place before; every day at about 4:00am, they start shooting, they don’t allow people to access the river bank where they fetch water. They destroyed all our crops, houses and economic trees.
“Our children no longer go to school, churches closed, our markets destroyed. We receive not much attention from the government any time our people are killed, they come with promise and in the end nothing is done. We are at the Mercy of the armed herders,” Lawrence added.
Tersua Yarkwan, Chairman of Kwande LGA and head of the Benue State chapter of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), also verified the attack. He said the violence occurred on Tuesday evening after armed invaders launched an assault from a border community near the Republic of Cameroon.
Yarkwan confirmed that five people were killed during the attack and that security personnel eventually repelled the attackers.
Describing Kwande as a challenging security terrain due to its proximity to Cameroon and neighboring regions in the North East and South-South zones, he highlighted the risks posed by such incidents, particularly during the harvest season.
Yarkwan warned that continued attacks threaten local food security and noted that local vigilantes and forest guards have been more effective in responding to these security challenges than other forces.
He stressed the urgent need for a stronger government security presence to tackle the ongoing threat of armed incursions along both the state and international borders of Kwande LGA.
Attempts to reach the Benue State Police Command, including calls to spokesperson DSP Udeme Edet, were unsuccessful at the time of reporting.
