There is tension currently in the Makurdi Local Government Area after angry residents from Achakpa community took to the streets in protest following a deadly attack by suspected armed herdsmen that left several people dead and others missing.
The protesters, numbering in hundreds, barricaded the busy Makurdi–Abuja highway at the Garba–Atson–Abagena IDP camp axis, paralysing traffic for hours.
They wielded placards, tree branches, and chanted solidarity songs, vowing not to leave the road until justice was served.
The attack, which occurred in the early hours of Saturday, September 20, on the outskirts of Achakpa community along the North Bank–Lafia road, claimed the lives of a farmer, Tor Felafa, his son, and Mr. Francis Kulegwa, a senior choirmaster at Daudu Mission in the Catholic Diocese of Makurdi.
It was gathered that the victims were ambushed on their farms, a strategy the assailants allegedly used after monitoring farming activities in the area.
However, several villagers were abducted, while many others narrowly escaped. Some residents are still missing.
Benue, regarded as Nigeria’s “Food Basket,” has long been a flashpoint in clashes between farmers and herders, often resulting in loss of lives, destruction of property, and mass displacement.
Local leaders have consistently appealed for stronger intervention to secure rural communities, many of which remain vulnerable to armed attacks.
As of press time, neither the Benue State Government nor the Benue State Police Command had issued an official statement.
