Nigeria's Benue State Attacks Claim 56 Lives

The death toll from attacks in central Nigeria’s Benue State has climbed to 56, Governor Hyacinth Alia confirmed on Saturday during a visit to two villages targeted by gunmen late Thursday into Friday.

Police had initially reported 17 fatalities, but the governor warned the number could rise further as search efforts continue. The violence marks the latest escalation in a surge of intercommunal clashes in Nigeria’s Middle Belt region.

Escalating Violence Across the Region

In a separate attack earlier in the week, armed assailants killed 11 people in Benue’s Otukpo area. Nearby Plateau State has also been gripped by bloodshed, with more than 100 people killed in two attacks over the past two weeks, according to Amnesty International. Hundreds have been displaced, with homes looted and burned.

Governor Alia attributed the assaults in Benue’s Ukum and Logo local government areas to “suspected herdsmen.” Longstanding tensions between nomadic cattle herders and settled farmers over land use have fueled recurring violence in the region. The conflict often takes on religious undertones, as farmers are predominantly Christian while herders are mostly Muslim Fulani.

Climate change has exacerbated the crisis, with overgrazing, drought, and desertification rendering large swaths of northern Nigeria infertile. This has driven herders southward in search of grazing land, intensifying disputes that frequently turn deadly—particularly in rural areas with limited law enforcement.

Government Faces Criticism Over Security Failures

Amnesty International has accused President Bola Tinubu’s administration of failing to curb the violence, leaving communities “at the mercy of rampaging gunmen.”

According to the News Agency of Nigeria, Governor Alia reported recovering 27 bodies in Logo LGA and 29 in Ukum, with more expected. “So far, we are talking about 56 lives lost in just one night. This is quite devastating,” he said.

The region’s instability has disrupted food supplies from Nigeria’s agricultural heartland. Research firm SBM Intelligence estimates that clashes since 2019 have killed over 500 people and displaced 2.2 million.

In a related incident early Friday, police said suspected herders shot dead five farmers in Ukum’s Gbagir area. Spokesperson Sewuese Anene stated that officers came under fire while responding to the attack. Simultaneously, assailants killed 12 others in Logo LGA, roughly 70 km away.

The repeated attacks underscore the growing security crisis in Nigeria’s Middle Belt, with calls mounting for stronger government intervention.