Pastor, Two Others Killed as Suspected Herdsmen Launch Reprisal Attack in Benue

Deadly assault on Anwule community linked to killing of young herder in August

At least three people, including a pastor, have been confirmed dead and one other reported missing after suspected herdsmen launched a reprisal attack on Anwule community in Ohimini Local Government Area of Benue State.

The assault, which occurred early Tuesday, is believed to have been triggered by the alleged killing of a young Fulani herder by local farmers in late August.

According to security sources, the August incident began when a group of farmers accused a herder of allowing his cattle to graze on their farmlands. The confrontation quickly escalated, resulting in the herder’s death and the disappearance of his body.

“They attacked the cattle, and in the process, the young boy herding them was killed,” a local security source told Zagazola. “Up till now, his body has not been found. That incident changed everything.”

Tensions have simmered in the area since then, with villagers mounting night watches and herders reportedly combing the forests for the missing boy’s remains.

On Monday, another clash reportedly broke out between villagers and herders, leading to the death of more cattle and another fatality on the herders’ side, which local sources said “was the tipping point.”

By Tuesday morning, gunmen believed to be herders stormed Anwule in a coordinated assault, opening fire and setting several homes ablaze. By the time troops from the Army Forward Operating Base in Otukpo arrived, three residents had already been killed — Simon Nbach, a pastor with Flaming Fire Ministry, Adoya Ejigai, and Ejeh Loko. One person remains missing.

Security forces later assisted in recovering the victims’ bodies as survivors fled to nearby villages, abandoning their homes and farmlands amid fears of another attack.

Top state officials, including the Special Adviser to the Governor on Security, Joseph Har, and Ohimini LGA Chairman, Gabriel Adole, visited the community shortly after the violence.

“We understand the grief and fear, but peace must be maintained,” Har said. “Security agencies are already on the trail of the perpetrators.”

Authorities have since intensified patrols across the area, though locals remain anxious about possible reprisals. The renewed violence highlights the worsening herder-farmer conflict that has continued to devastate rural communities across Benue State, often referred to as the “food basket of the nation.”