Fresh Tension in Benue: Suspected Fulani Herders Kill Three in Reprisal Attack on Anwule Village — Locals Report Renewed Night Assault

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Tension has gripped the Anwule community in Ohimini Local Government Area of Benue State after suspected Fulani herders launched a deadly reprisal attack late Tuesday night, killing three residents — including a local pastor, Simon Nbach — and leaving one person missing.

According to local sources, the attack was reportedly in retaliation for the earlier killing of a herder and several cattle by unidentified villagers following disputes over cattle encroaching on farmlands — a recurring conflict that has plagued the region despite the Benue State Anti-Open Grazing Law enacted in 2017.

Eyewitnesses said the herders invaded the village around midnight, setting homes ablaze and firing sporadically as residents fled for safety. The victims were later found lifeless on their farmlands early Wednesday morning.

Benue State Security Adviser, Joseph Har, alongside the Chairman of Ohimini Local Government, Gabriel Adole, visited the scene of the incident. Both officials condemned the renewed violence, urging residents to remain calm as **security reinforcements have been deployed to restore order and prevent further bloodshed.

However, hours after the officials’ departure, locals reported fresh attacks as the assailants allegedly returned to the area, forcing many families to flee their homes. One resident told reporters,

“The Fulani herdsmen who attacked and killed people last night have come back again this evening. The entire community is under attack even after the soldiers left.”

The Benue State Police Command has yet to release an official statement, but security patrols have reportedly been intensified across vulnerable border communities within Ohimini and neighboring Otukpo LGAs.

The ongoing herder-farmer clashes remain one of the most persistent security crises in Nigeria’s Middle Belt region, often resulting in loss of lives, displacement, and destruction of farmland, further deepening food insecurity in affected areas.