Benue bleeds: Suspected herdsmen kill seven in midnight attack

Suspected armed herdsmen launched a deadly midnight attack on Agbo Vengav community in Udam, Gwer West Local Government Area of the State, killing seven residents, including a child and two women.

According to reports, the attackers invaded the village around 1:00 a.m. on Friday April 25, 2025, taking residents by surprise while they slept.

Eyewitnesses said the gunmen fired indiscriminately as they moved through the community.

“They came silently and then started shooting. People were running in all directions,” a resident told Vanguard.

Local sources confirmed that the gunmen killed a young girl and abducted her mother.

Her whereabouts remained unknown by Friday morning.

“They killed the little girl on the spot and took her mother away. We don’t know where she is,” another source said.

Villagers immediately began searching for missing persons after the attack.

By dawn, they recovered seven bodies. Youths continued combing nearby bushes and farmlands for survivors or additional victims.

“This is not the first time they are attacking us,” a local leader said.

“We cry to the government every time, but the killings continue.”

Community members said the assailants acted with confidence, suggesting they faced no immediate resistance during the attack.

“They moved through the village without fear. We don’t have enough security presence here,” a resident said.

The victims included women and children, according to those who helped recover the bodies.

Many survivors fled into the night and have yet to return to their homes.

The attack left the community in fear and mourning.

Parents carried their children and ran through bushes to escape the onslaught.

Residents called on the state government and security agencies to urgently intervene and protect them from further attacks.

“They must send security forces here now. We are tired of burying our people,” a youth leader said.

Efforts to reach the Police Public Relations Officer of Benue State Command failed as her phone line remained unreachable.

Gwer West Local Government Area has experienced repeated violence, with locals accusing armed herdsmen of orchestrating killings, kidnappings, and farmland destruction.

In previous incidents, security agencies deployed personnel to flashpoints, but residents insist the presence remains inadequate.

Agbo Vengav joins the growing list of Benue communities suffering from persistent attacks.

The people demand urgent, firm action to stop the bloodshed and restore peace to the region.

“We just want to live in peace,” one elderly resident said, standing near the graves of those killed.

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