Gunmen killed 25 people in two separate attacks across north-central Nigeria’s Benue State, local authorities confirmed on Monday. The deadly assaults mark the latest chapter in a long-running and increasingly violent conflict between nomadic herders and settled farming communities in Nigeria’s volatile Middle Belt.
The coordinated attacks, which took place in the communities of Ankpali and Naka, underscore the fragile security situation in the region. Local officials and rights groups warn that continued clashes over land, water, and grazing rights are exacerbating tensions along ethnic and religious lines—often with devastating consequences for civilians.
The first attack took place early Sunday in Ankpali, a village in the Apa local government area. According to council chairman Adam Ochega, gunmen stormed the community and killed 14 people in what appeared to be a targeted assault.
“There are still some threats here and there,” Ochega told reporters, warning of possible follow-up attacks. While police confirmed the incident, they have yet to provide an official casualty toll.
Later that same day, suspected Fulani militias launched another attack in Naka, located in the Gwer West local government area. “So far we have recovered 11 dead bodies and five people are confirmed injured,” said Gwer West council chairman Ormin Victor. Local sources reported that the gunmen set homes ablaze and fled before security forces could respond.
Benue State has long been the epicentre of violent clashes between Muslim Fulani herders and Christian farming communities. As Nigeria’s population grows and climate change reduces arable land, competition for land and water has turned deadly.
Nomadic herders move their cattle across vast distances in search of grazing fields, often encroaching on farmland and leading to accusations of destruction and theft. Farmers, in turn, have responded with aggression, including poisoning livestock and organising retaliatory attacks.
According to a recent Amnesty International report, more than 6,800 people have been killed in Benue over the past two years, with gunmen carrying out attacks on both sides of the conflict. These incidents often spiral into cycles of revenge, further destabilising the region.
Gunmen Exploit Weak Security and Limited Government Presence
One of the key factors fuelling these attacks is the glaring lack of effective security. In many rural parts of Benue and neighbouring Plateau State, local communities are left to fend for themselves. When violence erupts, security forces often arrive too late—or not at all.
This vacuum has allowed gunmen to operate with near impunity, leading to repeated massacres. Last month alone, 44 people were killed in Gwer West in a four-day period. Local officials say that unless the federal government increases its investment in rural security infrastructure, the violence will continue.
“People live in fear every day,” said council leader Ormin Victor. “We need more boots on the ground, better intelligence, and real consequences for those committing these atrocities.”
While land is at the heart of the conflict, analysts note that the violence also taps into deeper social and political tensions. In the Middle Belt, a region with both Muslim and Christian populations, disputes over land frequently take on religious undertones, further inflaming divisions.
The influx of extremist preachers, both Muslim and Christian, has contributed to hardline ideologies and fuelled hostility between groups that once coexisted more peacefully.
In Plateau State, which borders Benue, tensions between “indigenes” and so-called “settlers” have further complicated the issue. Ethnic and political rivalries, mixed with long-standing grievances and the proliferation of arms, have made peaceful resolution increasingly difficult.
Environmental stress is another key driver of the crisis. As desertification spreads in northern Nigeria, herders are pushed further south in search of viable pasture. Meanwhile, farmland is under pressure from rapid population growth, forcing communities to compete over increasingly scarce resources.
This convergence of climate change, economic insecurity, and weak governance has created a volatile mix—one that gunmen are all too willing to exploit.
As the death toll in Benue continues to rise, civil society groups and human rights organisations are calling for a coordinated national response. They demand that the federal government establish stronger security frameworks in vulnerable areas and hold perpetrators accountable through proper investigations and prosecutions.
“We cannot keep watching innocent civilians be slaughtered week after week,” said human rights activist Nneka Okoro. “The government must break the cycle of violence by addressing both the symptoms and the root causes of these attacks.”
The deadly weekend attacks in Benue State highlight a growing crisis at the intersection of land, identity, and survival. As gunmen continue to target communities with alarming frequency, the need for sustained government intervention, robust law enforcement, and inclusive peace-building efforts has never been more urgent.
Until then, rural Nigerians will remain caught in the crossfire of a conflict that shows no signs of slowing down.
Source- EWN
