Several people are feared dead and many more injured following a violent overnight attack by suspected herdsmen on Mtsewnem, Akondutyough village, in the North Bank area of Makurdi, the Benue State capital. The assailants reportedly stormed the community around 3:00 a.m., catching residents off guard as they slept and unleashing chaos and destruction.
Humanitarian worker and human rights advocate, Ukan Kurugh, described the incident as “deeply disturbing,” revealing that he received a distress call at 3:00 a.m. accompanied by chilling video footage and photographs from the scene. Kurugh condemned the attack, noting that it occurred less than a 40-minute drive from Makurdi town, and lamented the continued impunity with which such attacks are carried out despite the presence of state and federal security forces.
“These brazen attackers continue to strike with impunity, undeterred by the presence of state and federal authorities. They have defied the President, the Governor, and our entire security apparatus,” Kurugh stated, expressing solidarity with the victims and their families and calling for urgent action from authorities.
As of the time of this report, efforts to reach the Benue State Police Command spokesperson, Edet Udeme, were unsuccessful, and the official casualty figures remain unconfirmed. The attack has heightened tensions in the region and renewed calls for decisive government intervention to address the persistent threat posed by armed herdsmen in Benue and across Nigeria’s Middle Belt.