Years After Anti-Grazing Law, Violence Persists in Benue

By Tracy MosesThe vicious attacks have continued unabated. The Anti-Open Grazing Law of 2017 has not improved the situation. Not even Operation Whirl Stroke, a joint military task force commissioned by former President Muhammadu Buhari to combat banditry, cattle rustling, kidnappings, and other crimes in Plateau, Benue, Nasarawa, and Taraba States has made a difference.

So far, no strategy has successfully curbed the tide of violent attacks on local communities, including urban centres in the famed Food Basket State of the Nation.According to security experts, the root of insecurity in Benue State is resource-driven. Herdsmen seek grass and water; local militias aim to control local markets; and cult-related supremacy battles have led to the enactment of anti-cultism and kidnapping laws.



Layered on top of these are communal clashes, which continue to claim lives and destroy property.Some survivors of the 2018 New Year’s Day coordinated attacks, arguably the most brutal to date, are left wondering still when relief will come. Still, the violence shows no sign of abating.

As it stands, if you want to live, you dare not complain when cattle graze on your farmland. Otherwise, you risk being hurt or killed. Children and pregnant women are not spared.

Thousands now live in Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps and host communities. Many have fled to distant regions, even outside Benue State, in search of safety.Life has changed drastically.

Schools are shut. Social gatherings have ceased, replaced by funerals often conducted under heavy security.The worst-hit areas are 10 out of the 23 LGAs in Benue State, namely: Kwande, Katsina-Ala, Ukum, Logo, Guma, Makurdi, Gwer West, Gwer East, Agatu, Ogbadibo, and recently, Otukpo.

Entire communities have been deserted, some for over a decade with herdsmen occupying these areas.Many believe the issue extends beyond grazing; they see it as a conquest. Former Governor of Benue State, Dr Samuel Ortom, was vocal about this, accusing Fulani herdsmen of deliberately displacing local communities to occupy the land.

While violent attacks by armed herdsmen date back over a decade, the 2018 New Year’s Day massacre shook the state. On that day, while many were celebrating, armed militias attacked Tomatar, Tse-Abi, Ayilamo, Tse-Tseem, and other farming communities. The attackers caught farmers off guard, opening fire and hacking others with machetes.

Pregnant women and toddlers were not spared. No fewer than 73 bodies were counted afterwards.Those killed on that tragic day were buried in a mass grave on January 11, 2018, at Utur Mega Layout Phase I, Makurdi, the Benue State capital.

The state government declared three days of mourning. Victims from Guma and Logo LGAs were among those buried.Governor Ortom described the incident as “a sad phase in the history of herders’ attacks on our people.

”These attacks are seen as the execution of threats made by Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore to resist the Open Grazing Prohibition and Ranching Law of 2017. The cattle breeders’ association had publicly vowed to oppose the implementation of the law when it took effect in 2018.The Benue State Anti-Open Grazing Prohibition and Ranches Establishment Law (2017), as amended, was enacted to reduce conflict between crop producers and pastoralists.

However, herdsmen who favour open grazing argued that the law was an attempt to suppress them economically.Violent clashes between farmers and herdsmen, resulting in killings, property destruction, and mass displacement, have continued to rise. Despite the law, cattle still graze openly, and herdsmen wield dangerous weapons as attacks on communities persist.

Speaking in an interview with Pointblank News, Mr. Udam Samuel, a health practitioner from one of the displaced communities, said, “The basic problem is not just cattle invading fields. What sparks conflict, and eventually killings, is the act of complaining about it.

”“Dozens of herders enter Benue annually. Fields of rice, soybeans, cassava, yams, and okra are destroyed. If you complain, they will attack you with a cutlass.

”“It’s been seven years since the 2018 New Year’s Day attack, and despite the presence of Special Forces, locals still live in fear.”Sammy Zion Aluna, 38, a father of three, was a victim of the 2018 attacks. Today, he teeters between gratitude for surviving and concern over his children’s future.

Though Aluna survived, he now lives with physical deformities from the attack and is unable to farm or perform strenuous tasks.“This happened on New Year’s Day. Every time that date approaches, fear grips us, pleading for assistance from the government and private individuals,” he said.

Udam echoed Aluna’s concerns: “We live in fear because herdsmen have taken over our land.” He also called for more federal troops to protect local farmers.Beyond the armed herdsmen menace, local militias and communal clashes contribute to the crisis, a double tragedy in Sankera (Katsina-Ala, Ukum, and Logo LGAs).

Although there had been some relief through the Catholic Church’s efforts, many residents remain displaced.Bishop Isaac Dugu said, “With support from the Benue State Government, we have engaged militias to lay down arms. Sankera would have enjoyed relative peace if not for renewed herdsmen attacks.

Now, there’s no peace.”“Just this week in 2025, 17 people were reportedly murdered in an attack on Otobi-Akpa, Otukpo LGA. All three senatorial zones in the state are now under siege by herdsmen, militias, or cultists.

”In many villages, going to a farm or burying loved ones now requires a military escort. Locals even farm for soldiers in exchange for protection. It’s a field day for troops, Udam said.

A young man, speaking anonymously, said he took a loan (“Alo”) of ₦15,000, promising to repay with three bags of rice.“They offered ₦5,000 per bag at harvest,” he explained, “but Agwei (Fulani) came early and destroyed the farms.”He worries that the lack of justice for those behind the killings and destruction is emboldening attackers.

He calls on Nigerians and the international community to recognize the conspiracy to promote outdated open grazing practices.In an exclusive interview with Pointblank News, Col. Alex Igbaya Ashungu (retd.

) addressed criticisms of Governor Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia’s response to the crisis.

He stated that the governor is focused on tackling root causes.“The non-kinetic approach which involves subtle, long-term strategies like community engagement, diplomacy, empowerment, and civil-military cooperation, is central to this administration’s security efforts,” Col. Ashungu explained.

“That’s what the governor means when he says, ‘If you see something, say something.’”The government has also donated hundreds of vehicles to security agencies and launched Operation Anyam Nyor and the Benue State Civil Protection Guards, all part of a coordinated security strategy.Governor Alia acknowledged the immense hardship endured by residents and promised decisive action.

“Our state has faced growing security challenges, especially in LGAs like Kwande, Ukum, Katsina-Ala, Logo, Gwer West, Otukpo, and Agatu,” he made this known on Facebook.He recently met with a delegation sent by Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Christopher Musa to assess the situation.

The governor also announced a security summit to find lasting solutions.“We are bringing together public and private stakeholders to restore peace,” he said.He is also engaging other North Central governors to organize a regional security summit.

For now, insecurity is alive and walking on all fours. Local farmers continue to flee, while killer herdsmen graze freely on cultivated fields, eating up crops unchallenged.The post Years After Anti-Grazing Law, Violence Persists in Benue appeared first on Pointblank News.

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