At least three people have been killed and another remains missing after suspected herdsmen carried out a reprisal attack on Anwule community in Ohimini Local Government Area of Benue State.
This was disclosed by Zagazola, a security analyst on his official X formerly Twitter platform.
The violent assault, which occurred on Tuesday, reportedly stemmed from a long-standing dispute between villagers and herders following the alleged killing of a young Fulani herdsboy in August.
According to local security sources, trouble began when a herder was accused of grazing his cattle on farmlands belonging to local farmers.
The argument escalated, resulting in the death of the herder, whose body has still not been found.
“They attacked the cattle, and in the process, the young boy herding them was killed,” a security source told Zagazola.
“Up till now, his body has not been found. That incident changed everything.”
Following the boy’s death, the community was gripped by fear.
Villagers organized night patrols, while herders reportedly scoured the area in search of the missing youth’s remains. The tension never eased.
On Monday, fresh clashes reportedly erupted after villagers allegedly killed more cattle during another confrontation. One herder was also said to have died in the renewed violence.
“That second attack was the tipping point,” another security operative said. “Once another human life was lost, everyone knew a reprisal was almost certain.”
By Tuesday morning, suspected herders stormed Anwule in a coordinated raid, firing sporadically and setting several houses ablaze.
Before the military could respond from the Army Forward Operating Base in Otukpo, three residents identified as Pastor Simon Nbach, Adoya Ejigai, and Ejeh Loko were already dead.
Pastor Nbach, who led the Flaming Fire Ministry, was reportedly caught in the attack while attempting to help others flee. One other villager remains missing, and several homes and farmlands have been abandoned.
Security forces later recovered the victims’ bodies, while terrified survivors sought refuge in neighboring villages.
Government officials, including Mr. Joseph Har, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Security, and Mr. Gabriel Adole, the Chairman of Ohimini LGA, visited the community on Wednesday. They urged residents to stay calm and assured them that the killers would be apprehended.
“We understand the grief and fear, but peace must be maintained,” Har said. “Security agencies are already on the trail of the perpetrators.”
Local authorities say patrols have been intensified across the Ohimini axis to prevent another wave of attacks, but fear still grips the community. Many displaced villagers have taken shelter in nearby Otukpo and Okpoga, uncertain if it’s safe to return.
The attack is the latest in a series of farmer-herder clashes that have ravaged Benue State Nigeria’s so-called “Food Basket of the Nation” in recent years.
Hundreds of communities have been destroyed, and thousands displaced amid ongoing violence tied to grazing rights, resource competition, and revenge killings.