It has been all sorrow, tears and blood in parts of Benue state in the last few weeks, no thanks to marauding armed herdsmen who have turned communities in the state to theatres of war, where death and destruction have become the order of the day.

The fearless invaders have not only killed in the attacked communities, they have also sacked the besieged communities and rendered the original land owners homeless. That is the sad tale of the situation in Benue state at the moment, where there is so much apprehension over the spate of attacks in parts of the state particularly the Benue South District also known as Zone C.

Communities in that part of the state have come under severe attacks by the marauders whose attention seemed to have shifted from the Apa and Agatu axis to the Otukpo, the headquarters of Benue South.

The reign of terror escalated in Benue South on February 7, when five hunters were murdered in cold blood in Okpomaju village of Okete Ward of Otukpo LGA. That incident was followed by the February 18 massacre when at least 19 persons were also gruesomely murdered with 16 of the corpses dumped in River Kashimbila in two days of rampaging herdsmen attacks in Mbandwe Ward of Kwande LGA.

And on February 25, three female students of the Joseph Sarwan Tarka University, Makurdi, JoSTM, former Federal University of Agriculture, were taken captive by armed herders who held them captive for over one week.

On March 4 at least six persons were killed in another attack on Tse Ugema Chul, Mbakesa community, Ugbaam in Ukum Local Government Area, LGA. And on March 10, at least 11 persons were reportedly killed and several others left with serious injuries after the marauders invaded Mbagena community in Mchihe Council Ward of Katsina-Ala LGA.

March 11 witnessed a violent protest by the youths in Naka, Gwer West LGA when three members of the Civil Protection Guards were murdered in the community by the marauders. The irate youths razed the Local Government Secretariat, monarch’s palace and property belonging to prominent members of the community over the incident

Two soldiers attached to Operation Whirl Stroke, a joint security spike operation in Benue state were also murdered on March 19 by the marauders at Anyiase, near Jato Aka, Kwande LGA.

And on April 1, the onslaught shifted again to Benue South Zone. Asa 2 Otukpo was attacked on the said day, leading to the death of one Akatu Onche and a nursing mother as well as the kidnap of several others. That attack provoked a massive protest in Otukpo and the take over of the major roads leading into and out of the town.

An 18-seater bus belonging to the Benue state government owned Benue Links Transport Company, was on April 4 attacked at Ikobi community in Otukpo LGA by the marauders who killed the driver of the vehicle and two other occupants. 13 of the occupants who were abducted by the armed men were later rescued.

On April 10, two farmers were reportedly killed by the armed herdsmen in two separate attacks in communities of Gwer West LGA. And on that same day Mbasombo community in Gwer East LGA was attacked by the marauders who killed five, razed homes and injured many. That community is less than 10 minutes’ drive from Makurdi, the state capital.

The attacks shifted again to Benue South on April 16 when they invaded Otobi community in Akpa district of Otukpo LGA killing 11 persons and setting parts of the community on fire. Many are still reported missing after that attack. And while the people were yet to come to terms with the spate of attacks in Benue South, the marauders on April 17 yet again launched fresh attacks on Emichi, Okpomaju and Odudaje communities in Otukpo LGA leaving three persons severely injured.

The Chairman of Otukpo LGA, Maxwell Ogiri disclosed that the marauders attacked Emichi, Okpomaju and Odudaje communities when the Benue State Police Commissioner and other members of his security team were at the Och’Idoma palace to consult with the paramount ruler over the Otobi attack.

He said, “three people sustained injuries and there have been sustained attacks on the three communities which forced women and children to abandon the communities. Only young men were in the communities when the attackers arrived. But the prompt response from combined security operatives forced the attackers to flee and none of them was arrested.”

Reacting to the spate of attacks in Otukpo, the lawmaker representing Otukpo-Akpa State Constituency in the State House of Assembly, Kennedy Angbo who hails from the attacked community condemned the persistent invasion of the area by the armed herdsmen.

The lawmaker noted that “Otukpo communities have witnessed a surge in armed herdsmen attacks and the attack on Otobi was the climax. But before that happened, a Fulani fellow had threatened on his Facebook page that Akweya enemies (Akpa people) should be prepared for war. So essentially what we have in Benue and Otukpo right now is war. It is an annexation, it is an attempt to take over the land of our people because these people (herders) come and graze around and they also rustle the cattle of their fellow herdsmen.

“I got that report from credible Fulani people who have been doing their businesses in Otukpo that there are criminal elements of Fulani origin who come in and then rustle their cattle and create a crisis around Otukpo and by doing so give them a bad name. So this is not a question of whether we are suspecting. This is a fact from even the Fulanis who have told us where they are coming from. They are coming from places like Nasarawa and so on. So, clearly, the herders are at war with Benue, they are coming to take over our land, they are coming to kill people and drive people from their farmlands and uproot our crops and feed it to their cattle.”

The Benue State Deputy Governor, Dr. Sam Ode, who also hails from Otukpo had to leave Makurdi at about 3am for Otobi for an immediate on-the-spot assessment of the situation in the community a few hours after the attack.

While appealing to the people to remain calm, Dr. Ode assured that measures were being put in place to end further attacks by the armed herdsmen. He also made personal donations to the people to help sustain them, assuring that relief materials would be moved in to give them succour. (Saturday Vanguard)