46 Fear Dead After Gunmen Attacked Village In The Central Northern Of Nigeria

According to local government officials, gunmen attacked a rural village in central northern Nigeria, resulting in 46 people been fear dead, making it the latest in a series of deadly assaults in the region.

The attack took place on Wednesday in Umogidi in Benue state, an area where clashes between nomadic Fulani herders and settled farmers are common as they compete for grazing and farming land in the area.

The security adviser to the Benue state governor, Paul Hemba stated that. “the 46 casualties were from the bodies of victims found and retrieved, and that many people are still missing, indicating that the death toll could be higher”.

Hemba attributed the attack to the Fulani herdsmen, who he claimed had been attacking local communities for the past month. “He also added that, soldiers have been deployed to the area, and the situation is now somewhat calmer”.

The motive for the attack is yet to be established, but Benue state has experienced several clashes between farmers and Fulani herders who they accuse of destroying farmland with their cattle grazing.

Nigeria struggling to contain terrorism in the northern part of the country.

But the chairman of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, Baba Usman Ngelzarma, cautioned against blaming herders without an investigation, stating that there is a deliberate campaign to demonise Fulani herders, which began in Benue State and has spread to other parts of Nigeria.

He acknowledged that Fulani herders have been involved in some of the attacks but claimed that the way they are always held accountable for every assault is unfair and biased. He called for an investigation to identify the real perpetrators and bring to face justice.

The local government chairman in the town of Otukpo, Bala Ejeh stated that, “the gunmen attacked on Wednesday afternoon while people were mourning the death of three others killed a day earlier. He also confirmed that 46 bodies had been retrieved, including that of his son and two relatives”.

President-elect Bola Tinubu faces several security challenges, including communal violence, a 14-year-long jihadist conflict, and separatist attacks. Inter-communal violence has escalated into more extensive criminal activity in the northwest and central regions of the country, where heavily armed bandit militias ransack villages and carry out mass abductions for ransom.