Residents of Anyiase and Ikyoawen communities in Kwande Local Government Area of Benue State are fleeing in large numbers after armed attackers killed four farmers in early morning raids on Friday. The attacks occurred in separate locations across the two settlements in Moon Council Ward.
Lawrence Akerigba, a community leader, told Business Day that the suspected herdsmen struck without provocation. He said the gunmen first targeted Anyiase before moving to Ikyoawen, where they shot farmers working in their fields.
Three farmers died instantly in Ikyoawen, Akerigba explained. A fourth victim, a man who was seriously wounded alongside a woman, was taken to a hospital in Jato-Aka but later transferred to Benue State University Teaching Hospital in Makurdi, where he died on arrival.
The woman injured in the attack survived, he added. Security personnel and local youths have begun searching the surrounding bushes to recover additional bodies.
According to Akerigba, the violence erupted as dawn broke and residents attempted to flee to safety. The attackers blocked the road at Ikyoawen Junction, opened fire on a vehicle carrying fleeing people, and took a motorcycle from its owner.
Akerigba condemned the attacks as unacceptable and accused the government of treating herdsmen better than farmers. "The government is regarding herders as first-class citizens who are even above the law, while farmers are treated as second-class citizens," he said.
He questioned why the killing of one herder, Ardo Risku, drew swift condemnation from the Sultan of Sokoto, the police commissioner, and government officials. "When one herder was allegedly killed, these leaders moved quickly to condemn it," Akerigba told reporters.
The community leader argued that farmers deserve the same protection under the constitution. "Farmers are only demanding their constitutional right of protection of life and property from both state and federal governments," he said.
He noted that the current farming season leaves residents especially vulnerable. "This is the season farmers are planting bambara nut, yams, and rice and harvesting groundnuts, but they cannot access their farms," he explained.
Akerigba called for government action and suggested resignation as an alternative. "Any government that fails in its responsibility to protect lives should resign," he stated.
He also referenced a separate attack in Sai Community, Katsina-Ala Local Government Area, where over 15 farmers were killed on Wednesday. That incident drew no condemnation from the federal government, he claimed.
Attempts to reach Benue State Police Public Relations Officer Udeme Edet for comment were unsuccessful before publication.
