The Benue State governor, Hyacinth Alia, has urged President Bola Tinubu, the Nigerian Army, and all relevant security agencies to treat the wave of killings and violence in the state as a “national emergency.”
The death toll from recent coordinated attacks by suspected armed herders in Benue State climbed to 72, according to state officials and security sources.
The attacks, which took place between Thursday and late Friday night in Ukum Local Government Area (LGA), left several communities devastated.
Initially, 56 bodies were recovered from the Ugondo, Logo, and Tyuluv communities in the Gbagir axis of Ukum LGA, Governor Hyacinth Alia announced on Saturday.
But as of Monday, the number of confirmed fatalities had risen as search operations intensified.
Government spokesperson, Isaac Uzaan, confirmed that more bodies were discovered in the surrounding bushes by local security operatives and volunteers conducting recovery efforts.
“We feared this would happen,” Uzaan said. “As our men and volunteers ventured further into the affected areas, we uncovered more victims. This was a premeditated massacre.”
Governor Alia, speaking during a press briefing, described the attack as a “strategic ambush” aimed at disrupting the lives and livelihoods of his people at the onset of the farming season — a critical period for food production in the agrarian state.
“These terrorists are deliberately striking at the beginning of the farming season to chase our people off their land and cripple our food systems,” Alia said.
“We are dealing with enemies of peace who are armed, trained, and organized. It’s a tragedy.”
He warned that the death toll could continue to rise as the search and rescue efforts extend deeper into the bush paths and hard-to-reach areas.
The governor called for immediate intervention from the federal government and security agencies, describing the ongoing violence as a major threat to national stability.
“Our communities are under siege. We cannot continue like this. I am calling on President Bola Tinubu, the Nigerian Army, and all relevant security agencies to treat this as a national emergency,” Alia pleaded.
Benue State has long been a hotspot in the farmer-herder conflict that has plagued Nigeria’s Middle Belt region.
The clashes, often fueled by land disputes, livestock theft, and dwindling resources, have escalated in recent years, with armed herders accused of launching deadly raids on rural communities.
