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At least 23 farmers and villagers have been killed in a series of coordinated attacks on communities in Logo, Kwande, Ukum, and Guma Local Government Areas of Benue State.
According to local sources, eight farmers were brutally killed in the early hours of Saturday in Jootar, a community in Ukum LGA. The victims, who had spent the night in the area, were reportedly ambushed while heading to their farms in the morning.
Among those killed in the Jootar attack were Joseph Sevav Yagba and his son, Destiny, a 200-level student at the Federal University Wukari.
“The farmers were killed on their way to the farm. However, we cannot confirm whether the assailants were armed herders or members of the Jukun militia,” a source said. Jootar, located on the border between Taraba and Benue states, has been a recurring flashpoint in the long-standing conflict between the Tiv and Jukun ethnic groups.
In a separate incident on Friday, suspected armed herders reportedly invaded Ayilamo, a community in Logo LGA, killing nine people.
Similar attacks were also reported in Kwande and Guma LGAs, with three casualties recorded in each area, bringing the total death toll to 23.
Benue State Commissioner for Information, Mathew Abo, confirmed the Jootar incident but stated he had not received confirmation of the attacks in Guma, Logo, and Kwande.
“The report I received indicates that eight farmers were killed in Jootar early Saturday morning while on their way to the farm. The area is a border community between the Tiv and Jukun ethnic groups, and there has been an ongoing crisis between them. We cannot definitively say who was responsible,” Abo said.
