At least 10 people are feared dead and several others injured following an attack by suspected armed herdsmen on communities in Ukum Local Government Area of Benue State on Sunday, though police have confirmed a lower toll as investigations continue.
The Benue State Police Command said the incident occurred at about 7 a.m. on August 16, 2026, at Aboajo Village in the Mbateren Mbazum Council Ward of Ukum LGA. According to a statement by the command’s Public Relations Officer, DSP Peter Aondongu, police have so far confirmed three deaths and four injuries in the attack.
However, residents and local sources put the toll considerably higher, with no fewer than 10 people feared dead. The attacks reportedly extended beyond Aboajo to several other communities within Mbazun Mbaterem, including Tse Yawe, Ikpuu (Kpuu), Ter Ukum Orkaa Kaave, and Tse Kyaave. The violence forced hundreds of residents to flee their homes for neighbouring communities amid fears of further attacks.
Reacting to the incident, Benue State Governor Hyacinth Alia commended security agencies for their intervention and assured residents that his administration would continue supporting efforts to protect lives and property across the state.
In a statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Tersoo Kula, the governor said suspected terrorists “masquerading as herdsmen” had invaded and attacked residents of Mbaterem in the Ayaba, Ikpur, Yina, Aboajio and Ukpen communities of Mbazun Ward. Alia condoled with the families of those killed and sympathised with the injured, while assuring residents of continued government support for security agencies working to protect the area.
The governor also issued a pointed warning against efforts to disrupt the state’s peace process, declaring: “Benue lands for Benue people.”
Sunday’s attack is the latest in a persistent pattern of violence attributed to suspected armed herdsmen across Benue State, a crisis that has repeatedly displaced farming communities and claimed dozens of lives in recent months. In July, at least 13 people were killed in separate attacks on Akpachi village and Otukpo Nobi community in Otukpo LGA, while a similar overnight assault on Sai community in Katsina-Ala LGA left roughly 10 people dead and more than 15 injured. That earlier Katsina-Ala attack followed the killing of the Benue State Chairman of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), Ardo Risku Muhammad, who was ambushed just days before.
Governor Alia has repeatedly condemned such attacks as the work of “terrorists masquerading as herdsmen” and has directed security agencies to reinforce protection in affected communities, though the recurring violence has continued to fuel anxiety and mass displacement across farming communities in the state.
As of the time of this report, the Benue State Police Command had confirmed only a partial casualty figure, and search and verification efforts were reportedly ongoing to establish the full extent of the attack. The discrepancy between the police’s confirmed toll and the higher figure feared by residents reflects a common pattern in early reporting of such incidents, where final casualty figures are often revised as investigations proceed.
