Suspected armed herders on Tuesday evening killed five farmers in Udeku Maav-Ya community, Mbakyol Council Ward, in the Turan district of the Kwande Local Government Area of Benue State.
The PUNCH first reported that the attack occurred at about 4 p.m. while residents were harvesting yams and bambara nuts on their farms.
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According to local sources, the assailants struck while farming activities were ongoing, throwing the community into panic.
A resident, who identified himself simply as Terna, said the attack “disrupted all activities in the area,” adding that many villagers fled as gunshots rang out.
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The chairman of Kwande Local Government Area, Tersua Yarkwan, confirmed the killings, saying the attackers did not immediately withdraw after the assault.
“The armed men stayed around for some time after the attack, which created serious tension in the community,” Mr Yarkwan said.
He described Kwande as a vulnerable border local government that shares an international boundary with Cameroon, noting that the terrain makes security operations difficult.
According to him, “these repeated attacks, especially during harvest season, pose a serious threat to food security.”
Also confirming the incident, a former supervisory councillor in the local government, Akerigba Lawrence, decried what he described as sustained assaults on the community.
He said residents had endured “constant attacks, destruction of crops, homes and economic trees, as well as restricted access to water sources.”
Mr Lawrence identified three of the dead victims as Tyozua Gyuse, Gbaga Gyuse and Tersuur Ijighka, adding that the identities of the two others were yet to be confirmed.
He said search efforts were ongoing to locate some residents declared missing at the time of filing the report.
He added that repeated violence had forced the closure of schools, churches and markets in the area, further worsening the humanitarian situation.
Efforts to obtain a reaction from the Benue State Police Command were unsuccessful, as calls to the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Udeme Edet, did not connect as of press time.
The latest killings add to a long pattern of violence in Benue State, particularly in rural and border communities.
In recent months, several local government areas, including Kwande, Ukum and Katsina-Ala, have witnessed deadly attacks linked to armed herders and criminal gangs, often targeting farmers during planting and harvest seasons.
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Security agencies, including troops of Operation Whirl Stroke, have conducted several operations across Benue in 2025 and early 2026 to curb armed violence and kidnapping.
Despite these efforts, residents say sporadic attacks persist, raising renewed concerns about safety, livelihoods and food production in the state.
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