Armed Herdsmen Attack Nasarawa Community, Halt Church Crusade and Injure Worshipper

A church crusade in Agboda community, Mararaba Udege, Nasarawa State, was thrown into chaos on Monday evening after suspected armed herdsmen launched an attack in the area, injuring a resident and seizing his motorcycle.

The attack occurred between 7pm and 8pm, prompting panic among worshippers gathered for the crusade. The organiser, Dr Daniel Ukpo, told our correspondent that the sudden wave of fear forced the event to end abruptly.

According to Ukpo, the victim—a young man from the community—was riding to the crusade when he was ambushed and struck on the head with a machete. His attackers reportedly fled with his motorcycle, spreading fear across the settlement and triggering a stampede.

“People started running in different directions as soon as word came that herdsmen had attacked,” Ukpo said. “Everywhere became tense. We had no option but to stop the crusade immediately.”

Ukpo described the attack as part of a disturbing pattern of violence in the Mararaba Udege axis, alleging that herdsmen have carried out repeated assaults on villages without restraint. He said local communities live in constant fear, with many attacks going unreported due to inadequate security presence.

He recalled a recent visit to Ochimi community, where the traditional ruler pleaded for prayers, saying his people were being killed and their crops destroyed. “Just days ago, someone was butchered to death on this same axis,” he added.

Ukpo also accused herdsmen of previously disrupting church gatherings in the area. “There were times we organised crusades and Fulani herders stopped us—more than once,” he said.

Residents are now calling on the government to deploy stronger security measures, warning that communities in the region are “at the mercy of armed herdsmen.”