BREAKING: Over 200 Killed in Fresh Herders' Attacks on Benue Communities — Victims Include Soldiers, Women, Children, and IDPs

Benue State, Nigeria — In what is being described as one of the deadliest waves of violence in recent years, over 200 people have been reportedly killed in coordinated attacks by suspected armed herders across several communities in Benue State. The massacre, which unfolded over the past 72 hours, has left entire villages decimated and thousands displaced.

According to local sources and eyewitness accounts, the attacks swept through Guma, Logo, and Ukum local government areas, targeting internally displaced persons (IDP) camps, civilian settlements, and even military personnel stationed to maintain peace in the region.

Victims include women, children, IDPs, and at least eight soldiers who were reportedly caught in ambushes while responding to distress calls. Many of the villages were razed, homes set ablaze, and survivors left with devastating injuries.

Benue State Governor Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia has condemned the attacks, calling them "a declaration of war against the people of Benue." He urged the Federal Government and the military high command to act swiftly and decisively.

> “Our people are being slaughtered in cold blood while they sleep or try to feed their families. This carnage must stop,” the governor said in a press statement released Wednesday.

Residents say they had previously raised alarms about the movement of armed men along the borders of Nasarawa and Taraba States, but security responses were delayed or insufficient.

The Benue State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) is working with humanitarian partners to provide urgent relief to the thousands of displaced survivors, many of whom are now sheltering in open fields or nearby church compounds.

Security operatives have been deployed to the affected areas, but the atmosphere remains tense as fears of further reprisals mount. Human rights groups and civil society organisations have renewed calls for the Nigerian government to declare a state of emergency in the region and to reform security architecture around the Middle Belt and other conflict-prone areas.