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GUNMEN KILL 16 BENUE FARMERS, DUMP CORPSES IN RIVER
No fewer than 16 local farmers and three residents were killed by gunmen that attacked communities in Kwande Local Government Area of Benue State.
It was gathered that the farmers were ambushed and killed on Saturday along Kashimbila Road while returning to their community in Mbandwa ward and their bodies were reportedly thrown into a river.
The gunmen further invaded Boaguwa, Kumakua council ward of Kwande LGA to kill another three residents on Monday afternoon.
Thousands of residents have been displaced from the communities after these attacks.
“The farmers were returning home when they were ambushed. Their bodies were dumped in the river,” a resident of Kwande was quoted by Daily Trust.
The President General of Mzough U Tiv Worldwide and leader of Benue’s three major socio-cultural groups—Mzough U Tiv, Ochi’ Idoma, and Om’Ngede— a retired Comptroller of Prisons, Iorbee Ihagh, who hails from the area confirmed the attacks to journalists in Makurdi on Monday night.
Ihagh, speaking from Jato Aka, expressed concern over the deteriorating security situation in Kwande.
He said, “I was informed that 16 farmers were killed at the weekend and their bodies thrown into River Katsina Ala. Just today, three more have been killed in Boaguwa. People have fled their homes, and I doubt if Jato Aka itself is safe.”
Ihagh further revealed that all six council wards in Turan, Kwande LGA, had been overrun by gunmen just as he called on President Bola Tinubu to urgently deploy more troops to restore order in the area.
Efforts to obtain an official response from the Benue State government proved difficult at the time of filing this story.
The Chairman of Kwande LGA, Terhile Vitalis Neji, could not be reached on telephone despite repeated attempts.
Also, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Internal Security, Joseph Har, referred inquiries to the Director General of Homeland Security, Air Commodore Jacob Gbamwuan (retd.). However, Gbamwuan’s phone was unreachable.
Similarly, attempts to reach Benue State Police Command spokesperson, Catherine Anene, were unsuccessful.
These recent attacks may be linked to the farmers-herders crisis in the state. The crisis is fuelled by competition over land and water resources, with farmers accusing herders of destroying their crops, while herders claim that restrictive anti-grazing laws limit their traditional pastoral lifestyle.
The conflict has roots in climate change, desertification, and the southward migration of herders searching for grazing land.It has escalated in recent years due to population growth, urban expansion, and changes in land use.
In response to increasing attacks and tensions, the Benue State government enacted the Open Grazing Prohibition and Ranches Establishment Law in 2017.
The law mandates that all livestock be kept in ranches, banning open grazing.
While farmers welcomed the law, herders and groups like the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) opposed it, claiming it was unfair and discriminatory.
