In the heart of Nigeria, a troubling wave of violence continues to grip rural communities, leaving families shattered and raising urgent questions about the government’s ability to deliver on its promise of security. Despite high-profile visits, presidential directives, and public outcry, the cycle of attacks in states like Benue and Plateau has not only persisted but, in some places, intensified. The grim reality stands in stark contrast to official assurances that help is on the way.
On or before August 16, 2025, two farmers—Kyargarshak Stephen Gumap and Michael Longs—were killed in separate incidents in Margif community, Mushere chiefdom of Bokkos Local Government Area, Plateau State. According to the president of the Mushere Youth Movement, Kopmut Monday, one of the victims was murdered on his farm while harvesting cocoa yams, and the other was slain on his way home, between Horop and Kopmur, by terrorists believed to be living in Rongjing-Mbor. Monday did not mince words, calling the attack "barbaric" and urging security agents to track down the perpetrators. Yet, as reported by the Daily Trust, local authorities such as the Gan Allah Fulani Development Association of Nigeria (GAFDAN) claimed no knowledge of the incident, and the spokesperson for Operation Safe Haven (OPSH) did not respond to inquiries.
These latest killings are just a snapshot of a larger crisis. In Benue State, the horror reached a new peak on June 13, 2025, when more than 200 farmers were massacred by armed herdsmen in Yelewata community, Guma Local Government Area. The attack sparked international outrage and prompted President Bola Tinubu to visit Benue on June 18. During his visit, Tinubu issued a stern directive to security agencies: "We were not elected to bury people and have orphans and orphanages. We will work with you to achieve peace. The people of Benue deserve peace." He also insisted that those behind the killings be apprehended and prosecuted, vowing to help the state achieve lasting peace.
But for many in Benue, Tinubu’s words have rung hollow. According to Vanguard, the attacks not only continued after the president’s visit, but became more frequent and audacious. Just four days after Tinubu’s visit, on June 22, twelve passengers of the Benue Links transportation company were taken hostage near Eke on Ugbokolo-Otukpo Road. On June 30, four Mobile Policemen were killed in an attack on Udei community, and in early July, a string of murders and abductions rocked communities like Ukohol, Tse Orkpen, and Agbu City Village. The violence did not spare security forces: on July 7, four members of a joint patrol team were killed in an ambush at Udei community.
The bloodshed continued through July and into August. On July 16, a church leader and three others were murdered along the Yogbo-Gungu-Aze road. On July 24, a farmer named Gabriel Vandefan was killed and beheaded in Uikpam community, his killers reportedly taking one of his hands as a gruesome trophy. By August 3, a mother and her grown son were murdered on their rice farm in Tse-Nyibiam, and on August 6, at least nine people, including a police officer, died in renewed attacks in Agatu Local Government Area. The violence has sparked protests, such as when women in Yelewata dumped corpses on the Makurdi-Lafia road to demand protection.
In just 59 days since the president’s visit, more than 32 additional lives have been lost in Benue, with several people still unaccounted for. The sense of helplessness is palpable. "We feel forgotten. We are tired of the daily condemnation of these killings as we hear in the media. We bury our dead alone, return to a life of fear and loneliness, waiting for the next batch of condolences, for how long," lamented Luka Auta, a 42-year-old farmer from Bassa Local Government Area in Plateau, whose wife and two cousins were killed in April (as reported by Vanguard).
The violence is not confined to Benue. Since April 2025, Plateau State has seen coordinated attacks in Bokkos, Riyom, Kanam, Wase, and Bassa local government areas, leading to dozens of deaths and the displacement of entire communities. The Presidency, in a statement by Special Adviser Bayo Onanuga, attributed the violence to "communal clashes rooted in misunderstandings between different ethnic and religious groups." However, this narrative has been forcefully rejected by Plateau’s Governor, Caleb Mutfwang, who called the killings a "coordinated genocide" aimed at displacing people and grabbing land.
Governor Mutfwang’s frustration is shared by many in Plateau, where the toll of violence has only grown in the months since he took office. Survivors and community leaders argue that official reassurances do not match the grim reality on the ground. Attackers often move freely, while survivors are left to fend for themselves. Security agencies, including the State Police Command and Operation Safe Haven, insist they are doing their best, but residents complain of slow response times and a lack of meaningful protection.
Stakeholders, such as the Plateau Initiative for Development and Advancement of the Natives (PIDAN), have called for thorough investigations into what they describe as "systematic ethnic cleansing." They demand the establishment of security outposts in vulnerable communities, better intelligence gathering, rapid-response capabilities, and an end to open grazing and land grabbing. Amos Ishaya from Tamiso, Bokkos LGA, stressed the need for more than emergency food rations for internally displaced persons, calling for the reconstruction of homes, schools, and clinics, and support for farmers to restart their livelihoods.
Across Nigeria, the pattern of violence has spread to other states, including Zamfara, Katsina, Niger, Kwara, and Sokoto. Citizens and activists have called on President Tinubu to move beyond issuing directives to service chiefs and to take "uncommon measures" to address what they see as a potent and escalating danger. As one coalition of stakeholders told Vanguard, "A government with the requisite political will can stop the killings by deploying all the resources at its disposal because the protection of lives and property is the most important responsibility of the government."
Despite the diversity of political perspectives—some blaming communal tensions, others pointing to organized campaigns of displacement and land seizure—one sentiment unites the communities of Benue and Plateau: a deep yearning for action that matches the scale of the crisis. As the rainy season falls on empty fields and fresh graves, many are left wondering when "enough is enough" will finally become more than a political slogan, and when peace will return to Nigeria’s most embattled rural heartlands.
