Barely 48 hours after President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s visit to Benue State to address the state’s worsening security crisis, suspected herdsmen have launched a fresh and deadly attack on Wannune community in Tarka Local Government Area — the hometown of Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume.
Local sources told The Nation that the late-night assault left several people dead and many others injured, though official casualty figures were still being compiled at the time of filing this report.
Residents described the attack as sudden and coordinated, forcing many to flee into nearby bushes. A member of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) serving in the area described the scene as “chaotic and terrifying.”
“Everyone is running into the bushes for safety. Please let Nigerians pray for us. The herdsmen are ravaging the environment now,” the corps member said in a text message sent to The Nation.
President Tinubu had visited the state earlier in the week following the massacre of over 200 persons in Yelewata, Guma LGA — a tragedy that drew national outrage and calls for decisive government action. During the visit, he directed the Inspector General of Police and the Chief of Defence Staff to apprehend the masterminds of the killings and restore calm to the troubled region.
However, the fresh violence in Wannune has raised serious questions about the effectiveness of those directives and the government’s broader strategy to tackle the prolonged conflict between herders and farming communities in the Middle Belt state.
As of press time, security operatives were said to be patrolling parts of the community, while official responses from the Police Command or the military authorities were still awaited.
Residents are now calling for a permanent military base in the area and sustainable peace-building measures to end what they describe as years of unrelenting bloodshed.
