***598 killed in Gwer-West alone since 2011, says monarch
National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, has pledged to investigate allegations of complicity by soldiers deployed to Benue State in ongoing attacks by suspected herdsmen across several communities.
Ribadu made the commitment on Tuesday during an assessment visit to Makurdi, where he engaged with state officials, traditional rulers, and residents on the worsening security situation. He vowed that any military personnel found to be colluding with criminal elements would be held accountable.
“I’ve taken note of the serious concerns raised, including the allegations of collusion. We are going to take this back and steps will be taken,” Ribadu assured. “We are treating this as a national security matter. It is not about ethnicity or religion—it is about criminals attacking innocent people.”
His visit follows sustained allegations that soldiers stationed in rural parts of Benue have not only failed to stop herdsmen attacks but have allegedly shielded their own farms from destruction while local farmlands were razed.
Traditional rulers and residents, including His Royal Highness, Chief Daniel Abomtse, the Ter Nagi, painted a grim picture of the devastation in Gwer-West Local Government Area (LGA). He revealed that between 2011 and April 2025, at least 598 people have been killed in 154 separate attacks.
“Myself and my son, Senator Titus Zam, have no homes. We’ve been displaced and now live like everyone else in camps, dependent on government relief,” Chief Abomtse said. “I have 15 districts under my domain, and they’ve all been devastated.”
He handed a compendium of the attacks and fatalities to the NSA, urging the Federal Government to fully enforce Benue’s Anti-Open Grazing Law, which he said has been activated locally but needs federal support to succeed.
“We need to move beyond rhetoric. There’s legislation in place. The Federal Government should back it,” the monarch appealed.
Also speaking, Elder Pharoah Acka, a community leader in Mbamar, Ugondo (Logo LGA), said his village lost 22 people in a single attack just last Friday. He decried the failure of security personnel to proactively patrol vulnerable areas.
“Security agents only show up after the killings. Even when we alert them during attacks, they wait it out and then intimidate survivors. We need them stationed in the actual conflict zones, not just in local government headquarters,” Acka said.
He recommended the use of motorbike patrols across interior communities, saying it would significantly enhance rapid response and deterrence.
NSA Ribadu, responding to these concerns, assured that President Bola Tinubu’s administration is committed to confronting the crisis head-on.
“We are not relenting. The governor is doing his part, and we at the federal level are ready to stand with him. The military is on ground, and though we may not be at 100 percent, we are determined to do more,” Ribadu stated.
The visit comes amid mounting pressure on the Federal Government to take firmer action in curbing violence in Benue and other Middle Belt states, where hundreds of lives have been lost and thousands displaced in the last decade due to farmer-herder conflicts.
