At least 50 communities across 25 council wards in five local government areas (LGAs) of Benue State—Guma, Gwer East, Gwer West, Kwande, and Makurdi—have been displaced by armed herdsmen, according to a report released by the Benue State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) on April 24, 2025, titled Displaced Communities in Benue State Where Fulanis Have Settled with Their Cows. The report, detailed by Daily Post, Sahara Reporters, and Tribune Online, highlights Gwer West LGA as the hardest hit, with all 15 council wards affected, including Sengev, Gbaange/Tongov, Saav, Mbapupuu/Tswarev, Mbabuande Kyaav, Mbapa, Tsambe/Mbesev, Sengev/Yengev, Merkyegh, Nyamshi, Tijime, Tyough Ater, and Njaha.
In Guma LGA, six council wards—Mbadwem, Nyiev, Mbaba, Uvir, and Mbayer/Yandev—have seen communities overtaken, with over 113,000 children displaced, per Punch. Gwer East’s Mbalom ward, Makurdi’s Mbalagh and Bar wards, and Kwande’s Moon and Anwase wards also report significant displacement, with Moon’s entire community deserted for years, as noted by Iorbee Ihagh, President of Mdzou U Tiv Worldwide. Ihagh, a retired Comptroller of Prisons, described destroyed markets, healthcare centers, and schools, urging a federal state of emergency to address the crisis.
SEMA’s information officer, Terna Ager, indicated that the documented 50 communities are a conservative estimate, stating, “There are many more, but these are the ones I can confirm for now.” The report preceded fresh attacks in Ukum, Logo, Otukpo, and Gwer East, including a Thursday, April 24, 2025, assault in Vengav Udam, Gwer West, killing scores, and an April 17 attack in Ukum, claiming 50 lives, per Sahara Reporters and Vanguard. Over 2 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) now reside in 17 official and unofficial camps across Benue, with some, like those in Guma’s Uikpam camp, enduring displacement since 2012, according to Vanguard and X post by @ChinasaNworu.
The crisis, fueled by herder-farmer conflicts, has crippled Benue’s status as Nigeria‘s “Food Basket,” with 18 of 23 LGAs under siege, per SEMA’s Dr. Emmanuel Shior. Since 2015, over 5,138 farmers have been killed, with 2,131 deaths in 2021 alone, per ThisDay. IDPs face dire conditions, with 458,992 school-age children out of school and 70 births recorded in camps in 2022, per Daily Post. X posts, including @NigeriaStories and @SaharaReporters, reflect public outrage, amplifying SEMA’s findings and calling for federal intervention.
Historical attacks, documented by Daily Post from 2013–2017, include 500 deaths and 300,000 displaced by 2017, with Agatu’s Egba village losing over 1,000 lives in 2016, per The Guardian. Recent incidents, like the April 2025 Otobi Akpa attack in Otukpo, killed 13 and razed 50 houses, defying Benue’s anti-open grazing law, per Vanguard. Stakeholders, including the Ter Tyoshin, HRH Daniel Abomtse, warn that two-thirds of Benue, including all Guma and Kwande districts, are occupied, with Naka-Makurdi roads labeled “death traps,” per Daily Post.
Despite peace efforts, such as Agatu LGA Chairman James Ejeh’s April 26, 2025, ultimatum to herdsmen, extended to May 3, and Governor Hyacinth Alia’s dialogues, insecurity persists. Ihagh and IDPs demand ranches, stronger security, and resettlement, as 1.5 million remain displaced, per CMS. The federal government’s inaction, criticized by Amnesty International for 2,600 deaths from 2023–2024, fuels fears of a worsening humanitarian crisis, with food scarcity looming as farmers abandon lands.
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