The Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) has raised the alarm over what it describes as systematic, unchecked, and media-ignored attacks on Fulani pastoralists in Benue State. In a gripping statement titled “Two Wrongs Don’t Make a Right,” the group claimed that no fewer than 57 Fulani herders have been killed and more than 4,348 cattle rustled in the state in 2025 alone—with no arrests, no prosecutions, and not a single act of compensation extended to the victims.
Painting a grim and emotionally charged picture, MACBAN warned that the continued injustice, ethnic profiling, and deliberate media blackout risk escalating an already tense situation, pushing peace and reconciliation further out of reach.
“Between January 2024 and December 2024, 44 pastoralists were killed and 328 cattle stolen in just Gwer West and Logo Local Government Areas (LGAs),” the group reported.
“From January 2025 to date, the numbers have surged drastically. More than 57 herders have been killed, and over 4,348 herds of cattle have been rustled or slaughtered in coordinated attacks across Benue State. Yet, not a single perpetrator has been arrested, let alone prosecuted. And there’s been no compensation for the grieving families.”
MACBAN further revealed that the persistent attacks have forced hundreds of herders and their families to flee their homes, seeking refuge in neighboring Nasarawa State, as fear and devastation grip their communities.
“Despite our efforts to live peacefully and harmoniously with other Nigerians, Fulani cattle breeders are often subjected to ethnic profiling, ridicule, and relentless violence. Our people are killed, their homes razed, their properties destroyed, and their cattle—the backbone of their livelihoods—are stolen in broad daylight,” the association lamented.
They pointed to a lack of media access and educational disadvantage among herders as contributing factors to the underreporting of their plight.
“The voices of our members are drowned out due to illiteracy, remoteness of settlements, and lack of access to traditional or digital media. Their tragedies rarely make the headlines or attract national attention,” the group decried.
To underline the scale of violence, MACBAN detailed a few chilling incidents:
Between September and December 2024, 12 Fulani herders were reportedly killed in Logo LGA.
In January 2025, eight herders were murdered in Kwande LGA, and 268 cattle were either rustled or killed.
On January 12, 2025, two herders were allegedly killed by Tiv farmers in Guma LGA.
February 2025 saw two young herders murdered in Katsina-Ala, with their bodies reportedly burned.
In March 2025, four herders were ambushed and killed near Zaki Biam in Ukum LGA, and 85 cattle rustled.
MACBAN singled out Gwer West LGA as one of the worst-hit areas, claiming Fulani communities there have suffered losses “running into millions of naira,” including accidental aerial bombardments by the Nigerian Air Force.
“This statement only scratches the surface. The catalogue of attacks, human and material losses, and displacement across Benue is staggering,” MACBAN emphasized, insisting that continued neglect will only worsen the fragile security situation in the region.
While expressing gratitude to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his recent visit to Benue State, MACBAN called on traditional, political, and religious leaders to stop fanning the flames of division and instead pursue genuine peace and reconciliation.
“Peace cannot be achieved through selective justice or strategic silence,” MACBAN concluded. “The lives of Fulani herders matter, too.”
PIONEER NEWS 