A Non-Governmental Organization (NGO), Amnesty International (AI), has reported that clashes in Benue State between farmers and semi-nomadic herders have resulted in the death of more than 2,800 people between January 2023 and February 2024.
This was disclosed during a press conference on Wednesday in Makurdi by Barbara Mogaji, the Programmes Director of AI.
Mogaji stated that among those killed were women, children, and the elderly, with many others left homeless and several kidnapped.
She noted that over 50 communities in Benue experienced 235 violent attacks, and 18 out of the 23 local councils suffered from insecurity and continuous attacks during the period under review.
In 2024 alone, Mogaji reported that 12,369 individuals from 1,025 households had been displaced from their homes, with 150 deaths and 149 injuries recorded so far this year.
She stated that more than 50 percent of farming communities in Guma, Agatu, and Gwer-West had been displaced, leaving them without access to farmlands or any means of livelihood.
The report also indicated that several rural markets in communities affected by herders’ violence were destroyed or closed due to insecurity.
In response, Lt. Col. RB Keffas, Commanding Officer of the 72 Special Forces Battalion Makurdi, emphasized that security personnel alone cannot effectively address the situation without support from the community.
Represented by Lt. Danjuma Abba, the Adjutant, he acknowledged efforts by security personnel to combat insecurity but expressed concern over instances of betrayal and connivance within the community, advising against such actions.
However, Makurdi Anglican Bishop Nathan Iyom criticized AI’s report, saying it was conservative in its statistics and data.
Iyom said, “The AI is economical with statistics and data. If we include the international refugees at Ikyogen, we have up to two million refugees and IDPs.”