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Eyewitness Recounts Fulani Herders’ Attack On Benue Community That Left 7 Dead
Anwule community in Ohimini LGA, Benue State, bore the brunt of a deadly attack by Fulani herders on November 3, 2025. One resident Okoh Augustine has provided a harrowing account of the events.
The attacks began around 9 a.m. as villagers went to their farms. “Our people went to farm. They were attacked and killed in the farm by the Fulani herders,” Augustine recounted.
According to the account, the army initially provided assistance, helping to recover the first two victims. However, tensions escalated when security personnel reportedly failed to respond effectively to subsequent threats.
In the second wave of attacks, four more people were killed as families fled in panic.
He said, “Out of the three that were killed, we were able to find two corpses and buried them. It was after that, on the 4th, that we found the corpse and the body was taken to Akpa, Otukpo LGA because he’s a pastor. He came to do his missionary work in Anwule and he extended his duty to help himself by going to farm so that he could make a living. It was there he was attacked and killed. When this incident happened on the 3rd, there was no signal. We saw the army in the community, of which they gave us assistance that day that the first body was recovered.
“The second day, on the fourth, they also assisted us and the second body was recovered. It was at that process we were putting our heads together to see if we could recover the third one. At that process, the chairman came and admitted that he sent the army to safeguard and to protect the life and property in the community. The chairman came and he addressed the community very wonderfully. And out of his goodwill, he gave money that we should use for their feeding, for feeding the security. We were preparing towards their feeding, that was about few minutes past four. Suddenly, the army came and said that they got intel that the herders were about crossing into one neighbouring community at Ankpechi, and that they’re about to cross to Amla, in Otukpo LGA.
“So the youth said the army should stand by and protect the house and let them go. They went. As they were there, the army blew a whistle. At that point, their food was on fire. The next thing, we saw the natives leaving the community. It was at the process of leaving the community, not up to 10 minutes, the herders launched another attack on the community, killing four persons.
“I put a call to them, the captain, Captain Austin. I couldn’t remember the surname, Captain Austin, where are you? He said that they’re in OTUKPO. Why? That they wanted to eat food. Why are they preparing food for you? You left the community and now the herders have come to attack. They are attacking the community right now. And when they came, we told them that this is the direction they took and that they are going to the second village that belongs to Anwule to attack. The army said they would not go there. They refused going there. So, it was shortly after that, to the mortuary on the following day, on the 5th.”
The eyewitness described a reconciliation meeting held later, during which the Fulani representative admitted responsibility for the attacks, citing the death of his cattle as the cause. Despite the admission in the presence of local and state officials, no arrests were made, and the community continues to fear further incursions.
Augustine narrated, “When we came back, we met the deputy commissioner of police from Makurdi. He came with a heavy troop of security. He addressed us. And since then, there was no attack on the community. But to our amazing surprise, the community was taken unaware again, that there was a reconciliation meeting at Idekpa. We were not informed about the meeting. At that meeting, we don’t know what happened again. What happened at that meeting surprised all of us in the community. That same army in the community that all these things were happening with, was the same army that went and saw Adu, they escorted Adu to Idekpa. When we’re talking about Adu, we’re talking about the Chief of Fulani in Benue South. The army said the chief of the Fulani in Benue South was at the risk.
“I went to Idekpa. The Adah-Ohimini, the Chief of the community as a whole, and with the ward head, of where this incident happened have never shown any concern about the incident that happened. They went to the meeting, held the reconciliation meeting in the presence of the council chairman, in the presence of the APC state chairman, in the presence of secretary adviser to the governor, government officials, top government officials, concluded and signed. Later, the Ado Risky admitted that what happened to the people of Anwule in Oglewu was the result of the number of his cows that were killed. That he promised Anwule that there would be no attack again more than this and that whatever that was taken from the community will be returned back. Somebody stood up and said, he was the one who is responsible for this attack in the presence of the security. No arrest. And nothing was done about it. Nothing. Nothing. Claiming the life of seven persons and such person confessed. The most annoying thing we don’t need the level of reconciliation which they have done, while the Fulanis are still coming to the land in their numbers. Do we quit our ancestral home for them to stay? We are farmers. We are farmers. What we do for a living is faming. And now they have come to chase us from our ancestral home. We need help. We need help.
The account highlights the human toll of recurrent herder-farmer conflicts in the region and raises concerns about the effectiveness of security responses and local governance in protecting vulnerable communities.