Benue State attacks kill dozens and trigger protests, herders' expulsion order

Armed men suspected of being herders attacked villages in Benue State’s Otukpo Local Government Area on July 12‑13, 2026. Initial reports recorded eight deaths at a funeral in Otukpo‑Nobi, while later counts from local sources and the police placed the death toll between 16 and 18 in the Nobi community and two more in nearby Akpachi village. Separate assaults in Plateau State’s Riyom Local Government Area killed nine members of a single family, bringing the combined casualty figure for Benue and Plateau to at least 27.

The attacks provoked angry protests, with youths marching to the Och’Idoma palace in Otukpo and blocking town entrances. Otukpo traditional ruler Chief John Eimonye ordered all herders to leave the kingdom immediately, stressing the move was a security measure, not an ethnic targeting. Governor Hyacinth Alia condemned the killings as “barbaric” and instructed security agencies to intensify patrols, cooperate with neighbouring states, and prosecute the perpetrators. PDP governorship candidate Michael Kaase Aondoakaa also criticised the state government’s response and outlined a security plan that includes forward operational bases and community‑based guards.

Security forces deployed reinforcements to the affected communities and began investigations, while the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) denied involvement of its members and called for a thorough probe.