A farmer is in critical condition after a brutal attack by suspected armed Fulani herdsmen at Tse-Iordye, a village in Ndzorov Council Ward, Guma Local Government Area of Benue State.
The attack happened while the victim was working alone on his farm. Eyewitnesses said the herdsmen, who were armed with machetes and other dangerous weapons, suddenly emerged from a nearby bush and descended on the unsuspecting farmer.
He sustained severe injuries, including the loss of a finger, deep machete cuts on his arm, which reportedly severed veins, and serious wounds to his head. Medical personnel treating him said his condition remains very serious, and his chances of survival are “50-50.”
“He was first rushed to the police divisional headquarters in Gbajimba,” said a local youth leader. “From there, he was moved to a nearby hospital where doctors are now struggling to stabilize him.”
This incident is the latest in a series of attacks blamed on armed herdsmen in Benue State. The Guma Local Government Area, which is the home LGA of Governor Hyacinth Alia, has long been one of the worst-hit areas in the state, with repeated invasions and destruction of farmlands by suspected herders.
Residents of Tse-Iordye and surrounding villages say they now live in constant fear and are unable to farm freely due to the growing insecurity in the area.
“This is not the first time. Our people are being killed, our farms destroyed, and nothing is being done,” a resident said. “We are tired. We want the state and federal governments to take this matter seriously and stop these attacks before more people die.”
Many locals are calling for stronger security presence, including the deployment of military forces and mobile police, to rural communities frequently targeted by the attackers.
Over the past few years, Benue State has become a hotspot for farmer-herder clashes, with thousands killed and many more displaced. The conflict is often linked to disputes over grazing lands and farmland, worsened by the movement of armed herdsmen, some of whom are believed to come from outside the country.
Successive state governments have introduced laws to regulate open grazing, including the Benue Anti-Open Grazing Law of 2017, but enforcement remains a major challenge due to poor security infrastructure and limited manpower.
The Benue State Government is yet to release an official statement on this latest attack, but local leaders are urging immediate action to prevent further bloodshed.
“We can’t continue like this,” said a community elder. “Our youths are afraid to go to the farm, and yet we are known as a farming people. If nothing is done soon, hunger and violence will destroy this state.”
Security agencies in the state say investigations are ongoing, but no arrests have been made at the time of filing this report.
