In a chilling revelation, Benue State Governor, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia, has disclosed that the gunmen who recently unleashed mayhem on several communities in the state came in overwhelming numbers and launched a coordinated military-style assault—first targeting Nigerian security forces before turning their weapons on innocent civilians.
Speaking in a live interview on Arise News Monday evening, the visibly disturbed governor described the attackers as heavily armed and tactically sophisticated. He said the assailants infiltrated the affected communities via the river—an approach that allowed them to evade early detection and strike with deadly precision.
> “It lasted for two hours. There is a military checkpoint and police presence in the area. But the attackers came through the river axis and launched a surprise attack,” Governor Alia recounted.
According to the governor, the onslaught began with a direct confrontation against Nigerian military personnel and police officers stationed along the road before the attackers descended on residents in a ruthless rampage that claimed numerous lives and left many others displaced.
> “They came in huge numbers, well-armed. The first move was to attack the military and police. There was resistance, and they were initially pushed back. But they regrouped and continued. Now they are moving toward Lafia in Nasarawa State,” Alia warned.
The governor added that the affected area shares a porous border with Nasarawa State, allowing the marauding killers to melt into surrounding terrain with alarming ease.
Recent weeks have seen a grim surge in violent attacks across Benue communities, particularly in Agatu and Apa Local Government Areas, where blood has flowed in the streets despite the presence of security personnel. The attackers, suspected to be criminal herdsmen, have continued their deadly campaigns of terror with impunity.
In one of the latest atrocities, three young men were ambushed and killed in Edikwu-G’Icho community in Apa LGA. In another incident, Sunday Dutse, the younger brother of a former local government chairman, was murdered along the Odugbeho-Ogbaulu road in Agatu LGA. Dutse had previously fled his home following an earlier attack and was seeking refuge in Ogwule-Kaduna when he met his untimely death.
SaharaReporters had earlier documented the rising tide of violence in Benue and other North Central states, where communities are being overrun, homes razed, and families torn apart by ceaseless bloodshed.
As fears mount that the assailants are now heading toward Lafia, the capital of neighboring Nasarawa State, security analysts warn that a larger regional crisis could be unfolding if immediate and decisive action is not taken.
Governor Alia’s stark account underscores not only the brazenness of the attackers but also the urgent need for enhanced intelligence, inter-state collaboration, and a fortified security response to prevent further loss of life.
PIONEER NEWS 