No fewer than 24 people have been confirmed dead in a series of renewed attacks by suspected Fulani herdsmen across four communities in Benue State’s Otukpo Local Government Area.
The coordinated assaults, which occurred between Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, have left a trail of death, destruction, and displacement in their wake.
Communities affected include Otobi, Emichi, Odudaje, and Okpamaju, with the most brutal hit recorded in Otobi on Tuesday night, where 13 people were killed and over 50 houses set ablaze.
By Wednesday, attacks on the three other communities claimed at least 11 more lives, according to local authorities and state legislators.
Chairman of Otukpo LGA, Hon. Maxwell Ogiri, confirmed the latest attacks, revealing that the violence erupted even as the Commissioner of Police was visiting the Ochidoma Palace to assess the Otobi massacre.
“Only young men remained in the communities when the attackers struck. Women and children had fled in fear. While three persons were injured, the swift response of security operatives forced the attackers to retreat. Unfortunately, none of them was apprehended,” Ogiri said.
Governor Hyacinth Alia, addressing reporters at the Government House in Makurdi, disclosed that three suspects had been arrested in connection with the Otobi killings.
He described the situation as “deeply troubling” and called on security agencies to urgently pursue and bring the perpetrators to justice.
Alia also announced the deployment of additional security forces to the affected areas and revealed that the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, had pledged to send more security assets to Benue to contain the resurgence of violence, especially in the Otukpo axis.
Meanwhile, the lawmaker representing Otukpo-Akpa Constituency in the Benue State House of Assembly, Hon. Kennedy Angbo, provided a grim breakdown of the fatalities.
According to him, nine corpses were recovered on Tuesday night, another was found in a hard-to-reach location later that evening, and additional bodies discovered by dawn on Wednesday brought the total to 11 in Wednesday’s attacks alone, bringing the two-day death toll to 24.
In response to the escalating violence, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Northern Chapter, has called for the urgent establishment of trauma healing centres for victims of violence in Benue and Plateau states.
In its 2025 Easter message, signed by chairman Rev. John Hayab, the association lamented the emotional and psychological toll of repeated attacks in the region.
“The physical wounds may heal, but the emotional and psychological trauma many victims are facing, especially in Plateau and Benue, require structured healing and rehabilitation. There can be no true recovery without addressing the scars left behind by violence,” the statement read.
Northern CAN urged federal and state governments to prioritize trauma care as part of broader post-conflict rebuilding efforts, while also calling for a “renewed and strategic security architecture” capable of tackling rising insecurity across the north.
The association also demanded adequate compensation and rehabilitation for victims of banditry, insurgency, and communal violence.
The recent wave of violence has left hundreds displaced, with many families taking refuge in neighboring communities or makeshift camps.
Local sources report that the affected villages are now largely deserted, with farmlands, homes, and schools destroyed.
Civil society groups and humanitarian organizations have begun calling for emergency relief support to assist displaced persons, particularly women and children.
