Miyetti Allah urges government action over renewed deadly attacks in Benue

The Benue State branch of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) has called on both the Federal and State Governments to intervene in what it described as continuous assaults on its members in Ohimini Local Government Area of the state.her

In a statement released on Friday, the association’s chairman, Ardo Muhammad, alleged that residents of Awule community, working alongside operatives of the Benue State Volunteer Guard, had been carrying out violent attacks on Fulani herders’ settlements within the area.

Muhammad explained that the unrest started in late August 2025, when armed individuals from the community, purportedly backed by members of the Volunteer Guard, launched a coordinated offensive on Fulani settlements.

“During the incident, six Fulani settlements were completely burned, 30 cows were killed and several rustled, while one herder, Mr Isu Abdulkarim (popularly known as Dere), was brutally murdered.

His remains have yet to be recovered despite several search efforts by his relatives and community members,” he said.

According to the MACBAN chairman, the violence had persisted in recent weeks, resulting in further losses and displacements among herders.

Dismissing allegations that herders had attacked local farmers, Muhammad insisted that the destruction and killings were the handiwork of criminal elements operating in the council area.

He added that the continued attacks had instilled fear within Fulani communities in Ohimini and its neighbouring settlements.

Describing the group’s members as law-abiding citizens, the chairman appealed to Governor Hyacinth Alia to instruct security agencies to restore peace to the affected communities.

He further called on the Inspector-General of Police, the Chief of Army Staff, and the Director-General of the Department of State Services to thoroughly investigate the incidents and ensure the perpetrators face justice.

Muhammad also urged the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and the Benue State Emergency Management Agency (BSEMA) to provide relief materials to displaced persons.

While reaffirming MACBAN’s commitment to dialogue and peaceful coexistence, he condemned the ongoing destruction of lives and property, urging authorities to act swiftly to end the crisis.

The association’s statement came just days after reports that four farmers were killed in Awule community, allegedly by armed herders.

Confirming the development, the Chairman of Ohimini LGA, Gabriel Adole, said the state government was already addressing the security challenges.

“The state governor has been responding to the security situation in my local government, and I’m already waiting to see him about the current development,” Adole said.

Similarly, the spokesperson for Operation Whirl Stroke, Lieutenant Ahmad Zubairu, disclosed in a separate statement on Friday that troops arrested three armed suspects during a patrol in the area on Wednesday.