benue state news

The Digest: Internally displaced persons in Benue State have issued a stark message to the federal government: stop pretending, and either secure their return home or admit failure. After years in camps that were meant to be temporary, displaced farmers describe lives of waiting—fields...

The Digest: At least 15 villagers were killed on Friday when terrorists opened fire on residents harvesting cashew nuts in Ojantele community, Apa Local Government Area, Benue State. The victims, mostly women and youths from nearby communities including Asaba and Akpete, were gathering fallen...

The Digest: Benue State Governor Hyacinth Alia has declared free education from Basic One to Nine in all government public schools across the state. Speaking at the maiden Benue Basic Education Summit in Makurdi, the governor said his administration, which has recruited over 9,700 teachers...

The Digest: Six travellers have been kidnapped along the Naka–Makurdi road in Benue State in the early hours of Tuesday, with abductors demanding N100 million ransom. The incident occurred at Kula village in Gwer West Local Government Area, a short distance from the state capital. According to...

The Digest: Armed men reportedly dressed in military uniforms have abducted at least 15 passengers and killed one person in the Okpokwu Local Government Area of Benue State. According to a report by the counter-insurgency publication Zagazola Makama, the attack occurred on Sunday evening along...

The Digest: Suspected terrorists have abducted at least nine worshippers during a vigil at St John's Catholic Church in the Utonkon District of Benue State. The attack occurred around 2 a.m. on Sunday, with victims reportedly being women and youths. Local authorities and the police have...

The Digest: American missionary Alex Barbir, founder of the humanitarian organization Building Zion, has publicly accused officials in Benue State of significantly inflating the estimated cost for a market he proposed to build for survivors of the June 2025 massacre in Yelewata. Barbir, who...

The Digest: Suspected terrorists have attacked Anwase Market in Kwande Local Government Area of Benue State, killing at least 13 people. According to local officials, the assailants opened fire on traders and residents, abducted several market women, and set shops ablaze. The attack occurred...

The Digest: Gunmen have killed five people, including an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) and four civilians, in an attack on the Abande community in the Kwande Local Government Area of Benue State. The police officer was on special assignment when the assailants struck. According to...

The Digest: The Federal Government has detailed in court how the June 13, 2025, attack on Yelwata in Benue State was planned and financed. In a 57-count amended charge, prosecutors allege that one of the ten suspects, Ardo Lawal Mohammed Dono, solicited cash contributions from fellow community...

The Digest: At least six persons, mostly students, have died, and several others are missing after a wooden boat capsized late Monday night at the Buruku crossing in Benue State. According to eyewitness accounts reported by Vanguard, the overloaded vessel was carrying over 45 passengers and...

The Digest: Armed bandits killed five people, including a former PDP House of Assembly candidate, in a pre-dawn attack on Otobi community in Benue State. Key Points (7 bullets): Five people were killed in Otobi, Otukpo LGA, in the early hours of Tuesday. Among the dead was Igbabe Ochi, a...

The Digest: Suspected gunmen ambushed a fully loaded Benue Links commercial bus in Otukpo, Benue State, on Saturday evening, opening fire on passengers. The attack occurred as the bus, traveling from Makurdi to Lagos, approached the Burnt Bricks area just before Otukpo town, causing widespread...

The Digest: Suspected armed herders attacked the Ortese community in Benue State’s Guma LGA, leaving at least five people dead and several others abducted. Key Points: The attack occurred on Tuesday along the Igyungu Aze–Yogbo road. Five victims have been identified, including an IDP...

The Digest: A survivor of the Benue massacre has brought Nigeria's violent crisis to the global stage, delivering heartbreaking testimony before US lawmakers about watching her children being killed while she hid in a tree, a personal tragedy that now fuels international policy debates. Key...

The Digest: Benue’s governor, a Catholic priest turned politician, publicly refutes allegations of religious genocide, drawing a sharp distinction between the state’s real security challenges and the loaded terminology used by international actors. Key Points: Governor Hyacinth Alia firmly...

The Digest: A traditional ruler in Benue State has endorsed former US President Donald Trump's threat of military intervention in Nigeria, calling for expedited action to halt what he describes as a systematic killing of Christians. This appeal from a community leader explores the deepening...

The Digest: The Benue State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) has reported that 17 out of the state's 23 Local Government Areas are currently facing violent herder attacks. Key Points: SEMA's Executive Secretary, James Iorpuu, stated only six LGAs—Ogbadibo, Ohimini, Konshisha, Gboko...

The Digest: Fear has gripped the Jato Aka community in the Kwande Local Government Area of Benue State following serious allegations that soldiers opened fire on residents returning from a funeral on Monday afternoon. Key Points: The shooting occurred on Monday as people returned from the...

The Digest: According to reports in Daily Post, panic erupted in Zaki-Biam market, Benue State, after unidentified gunmen shot dead a repentant bandit, Kyoga Joka, who was serving with the Civilian Joint Task Force (JTF). Key Points: Unidentified gunmen shot and killed a repentant bandit...