Community Leader at Benue Massacre Alleges Nigerian Army Complicity
Anwule Community in Ohimini County has been thrown into mourning following the gruesome murder of a popular pastor and four other Christian inhabitants by Muslim Fulani Ethnic Militia (FEM).
The victims were identified as Pastor Simon Nkach of Flaming Fire Church, Gabriel Ikoja, Chally Ajebi, Ejeh Uloko and Peter John
The victims were killed on Monday and Tuesday when rifle-carrying terrorists speaking the Fulfulde language of the Fulani tribe ambushed them in their various farms, according to eyewitnesses.
Alleged Military Complicity
Onjefu Oche, a Ohimini County tribal leader, while reacting to the attacks in a phone call with TruthNigeria correspondent, confirmed the coordinated assaults and the recovery of five corpses.
“Five dead bodies have been recovered so far — two were recovered on Monday, November 3, two were also recovered on Tuesday, November 4 and one was recovered in the early hours of today, Wednesday,” Oche said.
The attackers have camps cut across Ohimini here, Otukpo, Ado, Okpokwu, and Ogbadibo. We have been telling the government to dislodge them, but all fell on deaf ears,” Oche added.
Oche went on to accuse the military of complicity with the attack. “What is so shocking to me about Tuesday’s attack is that it was not up to 5 minutes after the military left Anwule that Fulani terrorists started the attack, meaning they were getting information about the troops’ movement”, Oche said.
Ohimini and other parts of the Southern part of Benue State have witnessed a resurgence of violent incursions by Fulani Ethnic Militias since early 2024, according to locals speaking to TruthNigeria. Security experts trace the renewed violence to the forced removal of militant herders from outside Benue during the last four years due to their track record of massacring unarmed Benue farming people.
Local people allege that the armed herders, who are not native to Benue, have regrouped in the forests straddling Benue and Enugu borders. These militia groups reportedly run secret kidnapping and ransom camps, targeting local farmers and Christian communities.
More than 300 people have been abducted or killed in the last twelve months across Otukpo, Ado, and Okpokwu counties, according to a TruthNigeria investigation. Many survivors allege that attackers use motorbikes, machetes, and locally fabricated rifles, often launching assaults during the farming season when villagers are most vulnerable.
Ohimini, with its headquarters in Idekpa, is an agrarian area and one of the nine counties in Benue South, inhabited mainly by the Idoma tribe, the second-largest ethnic group in Benue State. The people are predominantly Christian, with 85 percent identifying as Catholic. Ohimini lies about 135 km (84 miles) southwest of Makurdi, the Benue State capital and has come under frequent attacks and kidnappings by armed Fulani Ethnic Militia who have established camps in forested areas in parts of Benue South.
Ohimini County Chairman Reacts
Honorable Adole Gabriel, Ohimini County Chairman, while confirming the brutal attacks in a phone interview with TruthNigeria, said the Benue State Government and the Leadership of Operation Whirl Stroke (the Military Joint Taskforce in charge of Benue State) have been informed.
“The attacks on Anwule community were carried by Fulani Ethnic Militia on Monday and Tuesday. Two persons were killed in their farms on Monday, and three farmers were also murdered in their farms on Tuesday by the same Fulani attackers,” he told TruthNigeria.
“I have reported the matter to Governor Hyacinth Alia and the Commander of Operation Whirl Stroke. Security personnel have been deployed, and it is now under control,” Gabriel said.
‘Victims Gruesomely Slashed to Death’ — Eyewitness
Pius Ejeh, an eyewitness and native of Anwule community, painted a heart-wrenching picture of the attacks in an interview with TruthNigeria.
“I was in my farm at about 10 a.m. on Tuesday when I saw a group of well-armed Fulani Militia, numbering about 20, speaking Fufulde, chanting Allahu Akbar and pursuing some farmers with machetes, slashing them from their backs and heads. Many farmers ran into the bush through different directions. I was lucky to escape death as I hid myself in the bush. The death toll will be more than ten,” he said.
“The Fulani attackers came from their camps in the nearby forest they have been using as safe havens for kidnapping and attacks. We are calling on the security agencies to come and dislodge them so that we can have peace and security,” Pius added.
A Crisis Deeply Rooted in Land and Faith
The ongoing conflict in Benue South mirrors the larger Fulani Ethnic Militia terrorism in Nigeria’s Middle Belt, a region historically known for its fertile land and cultural diversity. Analysts believe the attacks are driven by a combination of resource competition and sectarian animosity, with predominantly Muslim Fulani terrorists aggressively attacking Christian farming communities.
Natives of Benue State have repeatedly called on the Federal and State Governments to enforce the state’s Anti-Open Grazing Law, but enforcement remains weak. Several local officials accuse security agencies of inaction or delayed response.
“Our people are being wiped out while Abuja looks away,” lamented a former community leader from Ado, Aboje Adakole said
The Humanitarian Toll and Government Denial
The escalating violence has forced thousands of residents in Benue South to flee to internally displaced persons (IDP) camps, mostly in Otukpo and Ugbokolo.
Humanitarian groups report widespread food insecurity, trauma, and school dropouts among displaced families.
Despite mounting evidence of sectarian targeting, federal officials continue to describe the violence as “farmer-herder clashes” rather than religiously motivated terrorism. Human rights advocates, including Christian Solidarity International and Human Rights Watch, have called for independent investigations into the killings, insisting that the systematic targeting of Christian villages in Benue and Plateau bears hallmarks of ethno-religious cleansing.
Unless swift and coordinated security operations are undertaken, analysts warn that Benue South could face mass displacement comparable to that of Southern Kaduna and parts of Plateau State, where scores of entire communities have been erased since 2015.
