Armed herdsmen launched a deadly assault on the Afia community in Benue State on Tuesday, killing at least 11 people and injuring several others in the latest flashpoint of Nigeria’s deepening farmer-herder crisis.
The attackers stormed Afia, a rural settlement in Ukum Local Government Area, around midday, opening fire on residents and forcing others to flee into surrounding bushes. Local authorities described the violence as deliberate and systematic.
“This wasn’t just another attack. It was strategic, unprovoked, and meant to push us off our land,” said Iyorkyaa Kaave, a local community leader. “They fired without warning. Eleven died on the spot. Many more were wounded.”
Tuesday’s assault follows closely on the heels of another mass killing in Benue less than a week ago, where over 50 farmers were reported dead. The repeated attacks have triggered alarm and despair across central Nigeria, a region already reeling from cycles of violence tied to land and resource disputes.
For years, tensions have simmered between nomadic herders and settled farming communities over access to pastureland, water, and agricultural territories. But recent escalations suggest a deeper breakdown of trust and security, with the death toll from such attacks surpassing 100 in just two weeks.
Benue, one of Nigeria’s most fertile states, has increasingly become a battleground in this crisis. Farmlands lie abandoned, and entire communities are being displaced. Residents say they are left to fend for themselves.
Benue State Police spokesperson Sewuese Anene confirmed the attack and said security personnel have been deployed to restore order in Afia. But community members are losing faith in what they see as a slow and ineffective response from state and federal authorities.
Calls are growing louder for President Bola Tinubu to abandon what some describe as a “soft approach” to the crisis. Many locals insist that negotiating with armed groups only fuels impunity and prolongs the suffering of rural communities.
“We want action, not dialogue with killers,” Kaave said. “People are dying. Entire villages are vanishing.”
As the dust settles in Afia, the scars of this attack add to a grim tally. The region’s long-standing resource tensions have now evolved into one of Nigeria’s most complex and deadly security challenges—with no clear end in sight.