In a chilling escalation of violence, over 30 residents of Munga Lelau, a tranquil farming community in Karim Lamido Local Government Area of Taraba State, were brutally slaughtered in a suspected herdsmen attack that has shaken the region to its core. Dozens more sustained varying degrees of injuries, with many homes razed to the ground in the coordinated assault.
According to eyewitness accounts, the carnage began after a simmering tension between local farmers and herders over missing cattle spiralled into full-blown chaos. What started as a dispute among long-time neighbours tragically transformed into a bloodbath that ended decades of peaceful coexistence.
Eyewitnesses told Channels TV that the assailants stormed the community on motorcycles, shooting indiscriminately and torching buildings in a manner reminiscent of guerrilla warfare. The coordinated nature of the assault has raised fresh concerns over the growing sophistication of non-state armed groups operating in rural Nigeria.
The attack on Munga Lelau came shortly after a separate violent encounter in nearby Bandawa community, where two people were killed following a confrontation between a farmer and herders allegedly encroaching on farmlands.
Many residents have accused security agencies of gross negligence, and in some cases, complicity. They claim that the attackers were known individuals within the community, and have pointed fingers at security operatives for failing to act swiftly despite the proximity of their posts.
“It is something that we never expected. The whole people of Munga are heartbroken,” lamented Alpharis Philemon, a resident who lost relatives in the massacre. “From time immemorial, we lived in peace with the Fulanis. No one can say exactly what provoked this nightmare, but I suspect a land-grabbing motive.”
Philemon expressed frustration over the absence of prompt military response: “Munga Lelau is only about seven minutes from Karim Lamido town where the security forces are stationed. Yet, for over two hours, no one came to our rescue. This level of inaction is unacceptable. The security is compromised, and I say this without fear of contradiction.”
The emotional trauma of the massacre came to a head during a mass burial for the victims. Chairman of the Karim Lamido Local Government Area, Hon. Bitrus Danjos, visibly overwhelmed with grief, had to be assisted away from the burial grounds. In a tearful address, he decried the attack as “barbaric and inhuman,” and urged residents to pursue justice through legal channels rather than retaliatory violence.
Danjos also highlighted the geographical vulnerability of Karim Lamido, which shares porous borders with five other states — Adamawa, Bauchi, Gombe, Nasarawa, and Plateau — making it a hotspot for cross-border criminal incursions. He appealed to both the federal government and humanitarian organisations to provide urgent relief for displaced persons who have now fled their homes in fear.
Taraba State Governor, Dr. Agbu Kefas, also condemned the attack in strong terms. In a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Digital Communication, Emmanuel Bello, the governor described the incident as “horrendous and unacceptable,” vowing that “the perpetrators will face severe consequences.”
Governor Kefas reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to safeguarding every inch of Taraba territory from internal and external aggressors, pledging to beef up security operations and intensify community engagement.
As families mourn their loved ones and survivors grapple with trauma and loss, the tragedy of Munga Lelau stands as a grim reminder of Nigeria’s growing rural insecurity — a crisis that demands urgent, decisive, and sustained action.
PIONEER NEWS 