The number of fatalities resulting from recent attacks in Nigeria’s Benue State has been significantly revised, with at least 56 people now confirmed dead.
The new figure was provided by Governor Hyacinth Alia during a visit to the affected villages in the Ukum and Logo local government areas. The initial toll of 17, previously announced by police, was updated as recovery efforts continued and additional victims were discovered. Officials warned that the number could rise further, with several individuals still unaccounted for.
The attacks, believed to have been carried out by armed herders, form part of an ongoing wave of violence in Nigeria’s Middle Belt, a region long afflicted by disputes between nomadic cattle herders and settled farming communities. Insecurity has been exacerbated by climate-related pressures such as desertification and drought, which have forced herders southward in search of fertile grazing land. These clashes, frequently marked by religious and ethnic tensions, have become increasingly deadly, with local law enforcement reportedly struggling to contain the violence.
Benue is not the only state affected by recent unrest. In Plateau State, more than 100 people were killed in two separate incidents within a fortnight, with entire communities left displaced and homes destroyed. Amnesty International has accused the federal government of President Bola Tinubu of failing to protect rural populations, stating that civilians are being abandoned to “rampaging gunmen.” The attacks in Benue are now among the deadliest to hit the region this year, further highlighting the urgent need for robust security and land-use reforms to curb the escalating crisis.