By our reporter 12.7.2026
Suspected Fulani herdsmen have launched reprisal attacks on residents of Akpachi and Otukpo-Nobi communities in Otukpo Local Government Area of Benue State with 106 people reported killed and many others injured.
The attack is coming two weeks after the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) Benue chapter chairman, Ardo Risku and his son, Ibrahim, were killed while returning from a peace meeting in Otukpo LGA.
In a statement on Sunday, Tersoo Kula, spokesman for Governor Hyacinth Alia, condemned the attack.
He said the terrorists invaded the two villages between 3:00 a.m. and 4:00 a.m. while residents were asleep.
He described the attack as not only a breach of peace but also “a barbaric and inhuman assault on the sanctity of life and the collective soul of the people of Benue State.”
“The attackers killed scores of people, while many others sustained varying degrees of injuries,” he said.
He noted that the governor was particularly saddened that the attack occurred at a time when the state government had been working closely with traditional rulers and security agencies to foster lasting peace and harmony.
“These acts of mindless bloodshed are a direct attempt to sabotage the progress of our state,” he said.
Mr Kula quoted the governor as saying he shared in the grief and anger of the people of Otukpo and the entire Benue South senatorial district, adding that their lives are precious and assuring them that their ancestral lands would not be surrendered to fear.
He also ordered security agencies to pursue the perpetrators relentlessly, ensure their arrest and prosecution, and deploy additional personnel and resources to protect vulnerable communities and prevent further attacks.