Benue govt attributes killings to land-grabbers, labels attacks as terrorism

The Benue State Government has condemned the latest wave of violence in the state, blaming the attacks on what it describes as organised criminal groups with a calculated agenda to displace indigenous populations and seize their ancestral lands.

Speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Tuesday, Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr. Tersoo Kula, described the perpetrators as terrorists who descend upon communities with motorcycles and AK-47 rifles, launching coordinated assaults that leave residents dead or displaced.

“What is happening in Benue State is rather unfortunate,” Kula said during the interview. “These are not random incidents. Some people have decided to organise themselves and plan criminal attacks on the state. From what we are seeing, they come with the intent to grab land.”

According to the governor’s spokesman, the death toll from recent attacks in Ukum and Logo local government areas has risen to 72, underscoring the severity and scale of the violence.

Kula emphasized that the attacks are far more systematic and brutal than what might be dismissed as isolated communal clashes.

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“This is not what you would call a farmer-herder clash,” he stated firmly. “This is outright terrorism. They kill, maim, and chase people away from their ancestral homes, and then seek to occupy the lands left behind by the natives.”

He painted a grim picture of the latest assault, noting that the attackers arrived from a neighbouring state in large numbers, targeting unsuspecting residents in farms, local markets, and even places of worship. “They came on motorbikes, armed with AK-47s, and attacked without provocation. That is why the death toll has been so high,” he added.

Kula also challenged the narrative often pushed in the national discourse, warning against mislabeling such atrocities as clashes. “When someone is attacked on their farm or in their home without warning, that is not a clash. That is a deliberate act of violence. As long as we keep misrepresenting these attacks, people will continue to misunderstand the reality of what is happening in Benue State.”

The state government’s position adds to growing concerns among human rights observers and security analysts who have warned that violence in the Middle Belt is becoming more organised, and potentially part of a broader campaign to destabilize and seize control of rural communities.

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