A renewed wave of violence has erupted in Benue State, where suspected bandits have launched deadly assaults on multiple rural communities across Guma and Gwer West Local Government Areas (LGAs).
The attacks, which occurred on Monday, May 19, 2025, have resulted in the deaths of an unspecified number of individuals, including Hon. James Akase, the immediate past Ward Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the state.
According to local sources, the coordinated attacks were carried out in quick succession, causing widespread panic and displacement among villagers.
Two major settlements reportedly hit during the violence include: Tse Ikpe Ago, a village located along the Yogbo-Gyungu Aze road in the Mbayer/Yandev Council Ward of Guma LGA and Tse Kologa, in Mbagune, situated within the Nyiev Council Ward of the same local government.
Eyewitnesses who spoke to journalists in Makurdi, the state capital, under the condition of anonymity, painted a grim picture of the attacks.
They described them as well-planned and deliberate assaults on defenseless farming communities, many of whom were already grappling with the aftereffects of past displacements and insecurity.
In one of the most high-profile casualties of the attack, Hon. James Akase, a former PDP ward leader from Tse-Defam, located in Mba’akov Vengav, Avihijime Council Ward, Gwer West LGA, was ambushed and murdered in cold blood.
Akase, a community figure who had been previously displaced by earlier waves of violence, had reportedly returned to his village to retrieve food from his farm. Tragically, he was caught in the ambush and killed by suspected Fulani militias, according to a local informant familiar with the incident.
The killing was confirmed by the Chairman of Gwer West Local Government Area, Mr. Victor Ormin, who spoke to the press regarding the deteriorating security situation in the region. “He [Akase] went to get some food from his farm and was unfortunately killed,” Ormin stated.
He also revealed that the violence extended beyond murder. In a related incident, another man was kidnapped by the assailants the same day. The victim was later released after his family managed to pay a ransom, highlighting the growing menace of abductions in the region.
These attacks are part of a long-standing conflict between farming communities and armed herdsmen, which has plagued Benue State for over a decade.
Despite numerous calls for federal intervention and the establishment of security outposts in vulnerable communities, such violence continues to escalate, leaving residents in fear and despair.
Local leaders have repeatedly urged the state and federal governments to beef up security, provide relief materials for displaced persons, and prosecute perpetrators of such violence.
However, the increasing frequency and brazenness of the attacks have raised serious concerns about the capacity of authorities to restore lasting peace in the region.
As of now, no official death toll has been released, and efforts are ongoing to ascertain the full scale of the damage and casualties. Many residents have fled their homes, seeking refuge in nearby towns or makeshift IDP camps.