Benue Killings: Communities, leaders speak out

The persistent violence across Benue State has been traced to a complex mix of unresolved boundary disputes, competition over mineral-rich lands, activities of armed herders and militia groups, politics and cult clashes.

Our correspondent reports that at least 270 people were killed by armed invaders between April 1 and June 1, 2025 across 10 local government areas of the state, mostly in rural communities.

While the deaths have long been attributed to attacks by armed herders and criminal gangs, the fresh political angle was introduced by the governor, who alleged during a live appearance on Politics Today on Channels Television on Friday, June 6, 2025, that these unnamed politicians were not only instigating the violence but also harbouring and financially supporting the attackers.

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But as the controversy stirred endless debate in the state, the governor’s spokesperson, Tersoo Kula, on the following day, issued a statement in an attempt to explain what the governor really meant.

Kula, in the statement issued on Saturday, noted that the governor’s comment about the insecurity in Benue was indeed healthy for citizens, and dwelt more on the Sankera axis.

Recall that in the Sankera axis, comprising Ukum, Logo and Katsina-Ala local government areas, the Ter Ukum, Chief Orkaa Kaave, attributed the insecurity to land grabbing by armed herders and unchecked criminal gangs. 

Kaave at a recent security fora described how years of violence had collapsed farming, education and commerce in the areas, worsening malnutrition and developmental issues among children.

He said the insecurity pervading the land was all about land grabbing by strange armed herders who are unknown to residents.

“They don’t come with their wives and children like we used to know. They come with AK-47s and cows. We cannot live with murderers,” Chief Kaave said bluntly.

Tracing the reasons behind the killings, the traditional head of Gwer West Local Government Area, Ter Nagi, Chief Daniel Abomtse, who said he would not comment on the governor’s remark on national television because he is not a politician, however noted, “I can tell you that the reasons behind the killings in this state are similar to the motivations behind Boko Haram invasion in the far North. 

“In my view, the federal government, starting from the Jonathan administration, and especially during the latter part of Buhari’s tenure, was insincere in addressing the insecurity that has engulfed the country.

“The killings in my domain aggravated around 2011. The primary reason armed herders are attacking communities is territorial expansion, which is being sponsored by wealthy Fulani elites in urban areas. Secondly, it is a jihadist movement aimed at completing what their forebears could not – conquering territories in the North-Central zone. Thirdly, it is an agenda of ethnic cleansing, targeting the Tiv people for annihilation.”

In Kwande Local Government Area, the Benue NGOs Network (BENGONET) identified key drivers of the crisis as territorial disputes between Turan (Benue) and Jukun (Taraba), as well as open grazing conflicts and weak security presence.

The coordinator of BENGONET, Lazarus Mom, noted that a recent field visit revealed that over 5,700 lives had been lost since 2011 with more than 150,000 people displaced.

Mom pointed out unregulated open grazing and poor enforcement of the anti-open grazing law, leading to recurrent attacks by armed herders as part of the causes of trouble in the areas, as well as insufficient security presence before and after attacks, amongst others. He noted that despite the multifaceted insecurity bedeviling the state, the commonest had been allegedly perpetrated by armed herders. For instance, armed herders were reported to have severally colluded with militia groups to cause mayhem in the Sankera area. They are also allegedly hired as mercenaries in some instances to unleash terror on Kwande people.

The Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) in Benue State, however, dissociated its members from the killings in the state, saying they know nothing about it.

Ibrahim Galma, the state secretary of the MACBAN, told our correspondent on telephone that he was surprised to hear the latest development, adding, “We don’t even know what is happening anymore. This is purely criminality.”

Solutions that stalled over the years

Weekend Trust reports that over the years, several measures have been evolved, such as the deployment of security personnel, who locals now accuse of negligence or complicity.

A state-owned community police – the Benue State Civil Guards (BCVG) – was formed but never fully equipped with weapons to match the sophistication of the enemy they are expected to confront.

Also, the Benue Anti-Open Grazing Law (2017) was a bold step but poorly enforced and without federal backing.

Furthermore, in the past years, there was the formation of multiple committees, including presidential panels and state peace committees, whose reports may have gathered dust.

More so, several military operations, such as the launched Exercise Ayem A’kpatuma 1& II (cat race), which was short-lived until the establishment of Operation Whirl Stroke (OPWS), are still operating in Benue, Nasarawa and Taraba states.

The cost of inaction

Residents who spoke with our correspondent bemoaned what they called the inaction of security personnel, expressing worry that Benue people are now buried beneath their pains, which are often uncounted, unnamed and unheard.

A civil society coalition under the banner of Benue Democratic Ambassadors echoed concerns at a press conference in Makurdi, where they decried the breakdown of security and governance across the state, urging the federal government to investigate what they described as targeted attacks on Christian communities.

“We are witnessing ethnic cleansing. Over 20 out of Benue’s 23 local government areas are now occupied by armed herders. No part of the state is safe,” said Daniel Pila, the group’s national president.

Pila criticised Governor Hyacinth Alia’s land-for-ranch proposal, suggesting that it signals a willingness to cede a territory to invaders. He demanded a federal probe into recent attacks near ranching sites, particularly in Aondona, the hometown of Bishop Wilfred Anagbe, who has spoken globally about Christian persecution in Nigeria.

The Gana factor

The Sankera axis of Benue State, comprising Ukum, Logo and Katsina-Ala local government areas, has remained mired in violence for over a decade, with the roots of the crisis tracing back to the deadly activities of the late criminal kingpin, Terwase Akwaza, popularly known as “Gana.”

The killings, which initially began with attacks by suspected bandits loyal to Gana, have continued unabated, evolving into a deeply entrenched security crisis. Gana’s reign of terror and control over the Sankera axis prompted the federal government to deploy a special military operation to the area in an attempt to restore order.

Despite Gana’s death on Tuesday, September 8, 2020 in the hands of the military near the Yandev roundabout in Gboko, lasting peace has remained elusive because his demise did not dismantle the criminal network he built.  Instead, his followers splintered into several factions, popularly referred to as Fullfire and Chain, with each laying claim to parts of the territory and continuing the violent legacy he left behind.

Gana’s influence extended beyond criminality as he was widely believed to have been used by some politicians, particularly during the 2011 and 2015 general elections to execute clandestine operations.

Today, some of his former foot-soldiers, including one known as ‘Konyo’, have risen to prominence, continuing to uphold the violent legacy Gana left behind.

Senator Udende, Akume break silence

When contacted on the issue, Senator Emmanuel Udende, currently the highest ranking politician from Sankera and the senator representing Benue North-East (Zone A), promised to respond to the allegations at a press conference yet to be scheduled.

His special adviser on media and publicity, Jerry Iorngaem, in a telephone conversation with our correspondent, disclosed that the senator had concluded arrangements to address the issues raised, alongside other members of the National Assembly at a joint press briefing expected to hold in a few days.

“He will not be speaking to you in isolation,” Iorngaem said.

However in response to the allegations by the governor, the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) has addressed claims that Senator George Akume and his associates have remained silent on the security crisis in Benue State. 

The special adviser to the SGF on public affairs, Terrence Kuanum, said the governor also claimed to possess a report indicting certain Abuja-based individuals for sponsoring insecurity in the Sankera area, but the Office of the SGF, while avoiding public controversy, emphasised that Senator Akume had consistently worked within his official capacity and beyond to address insecurity in Benue and across the country, ensuring that such issues remain before the president and the Federal Executive Council.

The statement criticised the governor’s expectation of media visibility from the SGF, arguing that such a demand reflects either ignorance of governmental procedures or an attempt to sway public opinion to defend the contributions of Benue legislators, specifically Senators Titus Zam, Emmanuel Udende and members of the House of Representatives who have been vocal in raising insecurity concerns in the National Assembly. 

These efforts, the SGF’s office said, had led to actionable motions and federal interventions. It also stressed that the SGF’s work, while being less visible, often yields deeper impact and follows formal government channels rather than public commentary.

On the governor’s claim regarding a report indicting unnamed individuals, the SGF’s office reminded him of the necessary administrative processes such reports must undergo before being considered credible. They urged the governor to act decisively by naming and prosecuting those he claimed were complicit in the violence. 

Kuanum concluded with a call for the governor to engage with grassroots communities for a clearer understanding of the crisis, and reaffirmed SGF’s commitment to supporting peace and security efforts in Benue State under the governor’s leadership.

Security experts suggest way forward

A Makurdi-based security analyst, Edward Akpen, advised that communities should establish a first line of defence by mobilising able-bodied young men to protect their areas before conventional security forces arrive during an attack.

He added that members of the National Assembly and other politicians all come from communities within the state, and as such, they should support efforts to build local security structures rather than engage in blame games.

“They must return to the drawing board, rise to the occasion and stop playing politics with people’s lives,” he said.

Commenting on the governor’s approach, Akpen said, “This is the first time we are seeing such structure in the state – there is a special adviser on security and internal affairs, another on external security and strategic affairs and a director-general of Homeland Security. How does he manage all of them? It is a duplication of roles.”

He stressed that security issues should not be used for propaganda, saying, “The governor needs to maintain decorum, streamline his security architecture and focus more on his primary role as the chief security officer of the state.” 

In the meantime, the commissioner of police in Benue State, Emenari Ifeanyi, said the command’s operational structure had been reorganised, with operatives strategically deployed into bushy areas across flashpoints in Sankera to combat bandits, as well as Gwer West, Agatu and Apa to deal with the activities of armed herders.

Ifeanyi confirmed the arrest of a large number of bandits and armed herders, noting that while some have already been remanded in custody, investigations are ongoing for others, who will be charged to court upon conclusion of investigation.