The recent wave of security breaches in parts of Nigeria presents a troubling contrast to the progress recorded under President Tinubu’s administration over the past two years.
Despite notable strides in governance and security reform, the resurgence of violence and killings by suspected herdsmen has shattered communities, claiming hundreds of lives, displacing thousands, and leaving a trail of destruction worth millions in property losses.
A disturbing resurgence of violence allegedly carried out by armed herdsmen has rocked communities across Benue, Plateau, Nasarawa, Ondo, Edo and Enugu states, casting a harsh spotlight on Nigeria’s fractured security architecture.
The attacks, some brazen and coordinated, have resulted in dozens of deaths, destruction of homes, and mass displacement further underlining the failure of the current security structure to protect vulnerable populations.
Benue: The Killing Fields Worsen
In Benue, widely seen as the epicenter of farmer-herder conflicts, renewed attacks in Gwer East and Ukum LGAs have claimed over 60 lives in the past two weeks alone. Survivors report that attackers operated unchecked for hours, torching homes and opening fire on villagers. “We don’t even run anymore, we just pray not to be the next,” said a displaced woman in a Makurdi IDP camp.
Addressing the issue, Hyacinth Alia, the governor of Benue State, attributed the recent wave of violence in the state to foreign elements, suggesting the state is under siege and attackers are not Nigerians based on their language, appearance, and tactics.
Speaking on a Channels Television on Tuesday, the governor described the ongoing assaults in the North-Central state as unprecedented and alarming, noting that the attackers differ significantly from traditional herders previously linked to communal conflicts. He emphasised that these individuals are heavily armed and exhibit behaviour unfamiliar to local communities.
“Let’s have the narrative very correct. We know Nigerians, by our ethnicities, we can identify a Fulani man, a Yoruba man, a Hausa man, we know them. Even the regular traditional herders, we know them. They work with cows, herding with sticks,” Alia said.
As of Monday, April 21, the death toll from multiple attacks had reached 72. This brings the total number of deaths in the past five days to 83, following coordinated attacks by gunmen on communities in Benue’s Sankera axis comprising Ukum, Katsina-Ala and Logo LGAs.
The violence, which began on Thursday, April 17, escalated daily with more bodies recovered across affected areas.
Plateau: Peace Pacts Shattered
Plateau State has seen a devastating return of violence despite multiple peace accords. On Monday April 14th, coordinated night raids in Bokkos and Mangu left at least 50 people dead, prompting calls for a state of emergency. The Plateau Peace Building Agency called the attacks “a failure of both federal and local response systems.”
On Tuesday April 15th at the palace of the Paramount Ruler in Miango, governor Caleb Mutfwang of Plateau State apologised to the people of Bassa Local Government Area (LGA) for the failure of government and security agencies to protect lives and properties.
“I will tell you the truth: I have been crying since yesterday because I had trusted God that all the arrangements were put in place, that this will not happen again. We have made investments in security,” he said.
“But like all human arrangements, sometimes they fail. I want to admit that on Sunday night into Monday morning, we failed you. Please, forgive me.”
Nasarawa: A State on Alert
In Nasarawa, communities in Doma and Keana LGAs were attacked in daylight. Eyewitnesses say the herdsmen appeared heavily armed, leading many to believe they are backed by external militias. “The forests have been taken over, and the government knows but does nothing,” a local vigilante told reporters.
According to report herdsmen killed approximately 52 people according to eyewitnesses in 12 different villages, although the death toll was initially put at least 20 by the Tiv Development Association. Prior to the attack, the conflict had been happening for decades due to overgrazing and farming in what they deemed communal areas.
Ondo: The South is Not Spared
In the usually calm Ondo State, fresh herdsmen attacks in Ose, Akure and Akoko North LGAs have reignited fears of growing insecurity including herdsmen attacks, robbery and kidnapping in Nigeria’s Southwest. Farmers have fled their lands after violent encounters left several dead and scores injured.
On March 10, widespread reports emerged that at least 20 people were killed when armed bandits invaded and razed four communities in Akure North Local Government Area of Ondo State. While multiple eyewitness accounts and local sources confirmed the attacks, the state government has offered a differing account, casting doubt on the reported casualty figures
The Regent of Ademekun Community, Princess Adelowo Adekemisola, revealed that 14 people were killed in her community alone.
“For the past six years, we have been battling attacks from herdsmen. This time, 14 people were killed over the weekend after they infiltrated our community and started shooting sporadically,” she lamented.
Similarly in March 2025, nine surveyors and an industrial training student were kidnapped at Owode/Ilu-Abo in Akure North LGA.
Led by Oluwarotimi Joshua, the south-west chairman of the National Association of Nigerian, Students took to the streets of Akure on Thursday, holding placards with various inscriptions and chanting solidarity songs.
The students disrupted road traffic for several hours and accused Lucky Aiyedatiwa, the state governor, of failing to prioritise their safety.
Hundreds of women also stormed the streets of Akure, the Ondo state capital, to protest over rising cases of kidnapping in their domain.
Amotekun Corps has been deployed but remains stretched thin. “Ondo is under invasion and we are barely holding on,” said a senior security officer anonymously.
Ondo State, once considered a buffer zone, is now showing signs of being breached with recent ugly records, highlighting the troubling reality that insecurity is no longer limited to the North or Middle Belt.
This growing vulnerability raises a critical question: Does the current administration, led by Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, possess the capacity and political will to curb the rising tide of violence, as seen during the tenure of previous governments?
This troubling trajectory brings renewed attention to the tragic events of June 5, 2022, when a devastating mass shooting and bomb attack struck a Catholic church in Owo, Ondo State. The assault claimed at least 40 lives, with some reports placing the death toll as high as 80. While the investigation remains ongoing, some officials within the federal government suspect the attack was carried out by the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).
Enugu: Silence Amid the Storm
In Enugu, herdsmen reportedly attacked Nimbo community in Uzo Uwani LGA, an area that experienced a similar massacre in 2016. The recent raid, largely unreported in mainstream media, saw homes razed and farmlands destroyed. Local leaders accuse the federal security forces of negligence and bias. “We raised alarms, but they came only to count bodies,” a village chief lamented.
In April, No fewer than four farmers were murdered on their farms in Adani community in the Uzo-Uwani local government area of Enugu by suspected Fulani herdsmen prompting a protest by women to Enugu government House.
In a divergent view, some voices have called for self-defense in the face of what they describe as an overwhelmed and underperforming security apparatus unable to prevent future attacks.
One of the most prominent voices is that of former Minister of Defence, General Theophilus Danjuma (rtd), who has once again echoed his call for communities to defend themselves, particularly in light of the renewed assaults on Benue and Plateau States.
However, this stance has sparked concern in various quarters, with critics warning that widespread self-defense could spiral into anarchy and further undermine national cohesion.
On the other hand, National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, has responded to the growing unease by urging calm. He noted that President Bola Tinubu’s administration inherited a deeply troubled security landscape, and emphasized that addressing insecurity would take time and cooperation.
Ribadu condemned the recent killings and appealed to the people of Benue to give the current government a chance, rather than politicizing the tragedies.
