April 2022 Benue State killings

Background

Nigeria has faced an ongoing conflict between Christian farmers and Fulani herdsmen in the center and northern parts of the country since 1999. The fighting has followed a cycle in which many attacks are carried out as reprisal and retaliation actions, often against innocent herders or farmers on either side. On March 10, 2022, Fulani herdsmen attacked the village of Ahentse, the hometown of Benue State governor Samuel Ortom, killing five people. Further attacks in Guma Local Government Area (LGA) continued throughout March and into early April 2022.

Attacks

The April 2022 attacks targeted villages across three LGAs in Benue State. The first attack occurred in the village of Semaka around 9 p.m. on April 11, 2022, killing five Christian civilians and injuring more than ten others. The perpetrators fled the scene on motorbikes and then struck the villages of Tyotugh and Gaambetiev in Guma LGA. Nine people were killed in Tyotugh and fifteen in Gaambetiev, though the exact death toll remained uncertain because some victims were killed after fleeing into surrounding forest. Among those killed was Chief Unongo Shaayange of Logo LGA. The perpetrators were not immediately apprehended.

Aftermath

In protest against the attackers, angered residents of the affected villages stacked the bodies of slain villagers on the Makurdi-Gboko highway and blocked traffic. The standoff ended after intervention by the Benue State Police Commissioner. The following day, Governor Samuel Ortom reiterated earlier calls for civilians to defend themselves against bandits and herdsmen. Lt. Col. Paul Hemba, the Security Adviser to Governor Ortom, said the death toll was likely to rise as more bodies were still being discovered.

In January 2023, twelve suspected kidnappers were apprehended, allegedly connected to the April 12, 2022 killings. No named individuals have been publicly charged or convicted in connection with these events.