At least nine people, including a police officer, have reportedly been killed in a series of coordinated attacks by suspected armed herders in Agatu Local Government Area of Benue State.
The deadly assaults, said to have started on Friday and continued through Tuesday, targeted four different communities in the troubled local government area.
Residents identified the affected villages to include Okwutanobe, Okpokpolo, Olegagbani, and Ikpele.
Local sources alleged that the attackers often crossed into Benue from neighbouring Kogi State to carry out raids before retreating.
A resident, who identified himself simply as Odenyi, was quoted as saying, “The attacks started last Friday at Okwutanobe where two people were killed.
“On Saturday, they attacked Okpokpolo and killed one person. On Monday, the armed herders invaded Olegagbani and killed one person.
“Today (Tuesday), they attacked Ikpele, where they killed one police officer and four people.”
The Chairman of the Agatu Local Government Area, James Melvin, who also confirmed the killings, stated that a total of nine lives were lost across the four communities within the space of three days.
“It’s true. I can confirm to you that four people were killed in Okwutanobe, Okpokpolo and Olegagbani, while five people, including a police officer, were killed in Ikpele today,” Melvin was quoted as saying.
The council boss said the attacks might be reprisals linked to allegations of cattle rustling made by herders in the area.
“We condemn these attacks, and I think it was a reprisal to their earlier report of cattle rustling in Agatu communities,” he said.
“We are appealing to them to give the government time to investigate the alleged rustling instead of taking the law into their own hands.”
Meanwhile, just two days prior to the fresh wave of violence, the Benue State chapter of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) had raised alarm over the alleged rustling of approximately 340 cattle in Agatu during the month of July.
The association’s secretary, Ibrahim Galma, claimed criminal elements within the local government area were responsible for the theft.
Melvin further lamented that the poor road infrastructure in Agatu hampers swift response by security forces.
“You know the roads in Agatu are bad. Even when the security men receive a distress call, it can take them up to four hours to navigate some areas due to the bad terrain, so the armed herders would wreak havoc and leave,” he explained.
However, the Benue State Police Command has not released an official statement about the attacks.
The Public Relations Officer of the command, SP Catherine Udeme Edet, said she had not yet received official information about the latest killings.
Benue State, particularly Agatu and other border LGAs, has endured recurrent attacks by suspected herdsmen over the years.
In June, over 200 people were massacred in Yelwata community in an overnight attack by suspected armed herdsmen.
In April 2024, at least 25 people were killed in coordinated raids on Ugbobi and Odugbeho communities in Agatu.
Similarly, earlier in March, another series of attacks across Apa and Otukpo LGAs left dozens dead and hundreds displaced.
The state government has repeatedly called on the federal authorities to intervene, citing the heavy toll the violence has taken on rural communities and food production.
Despite ongoing military operations in parts of the Middle Belt under the Operation Whirl Stroke initiative, residents continue to express concern over the frequency and impunity of the attacks.
As tension mounts in Agatu and neighbouring areas, local leaders and civil society groups have renewed calls for improved security deployment, faster response times, and long-term conflict resolution strategies, particularly around grazing and land use disputes between farmers and herders.
