Three killed, two injured in fresh Benue herdsmen attack

Fresh violence erupted in Benue State as suspected armed herders launched attacks on Elulu and Agadagba communities in Ohimini Local Government Area, resulting in at least three deaths and two injuries. The incidents occurred separately between Friday and Saturday night.

According to local accounts, the attackers first invaded Elulu village on Friday, killing one person and injuring another while attempting to steal a motorcycle. The following night, Saturday, the herders targeted Agadagba, where an attempt to rustle cows was met with resistance from local youths. During the confrontation, two youths were shot and killed by the well-armed assailants.

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The Fulani herdsmen attacked our community (Agadagba) yesterday night and attempted to rustle cows, and in the process some youths repelled them. But some of the attackers, who were well armed, shot at the youths, and two of them died.

Gabriel Adole, the chairman of Ohimini Local Government Area, confirmed both incidents. He stated that the attackers killed one person and took a motorcycle from Elulu on Friday. On Saturday, they returned to Agadagba, where they shot two individuals after their cow rustling attempt was repelled. Both injured individuals are currently receiving hospital treatment.

Local security personnel, in collaboration with the police, have been deployed to the affected areas to restore normalcy and prevent further attacks. Ohimini LGA has experienced a series of attacks in recent weeks, with some residents linking the violence to the killing of the state chairman of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria on June 24, 2026. Efforts to reach the state police command spokesperson for comment were unsuccessful.

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It is not only in the Agadagba community that the armed herders killed people. They first attacked Elulu village the day before yesterday (Friday), killed somebody, attacked another person and collected his Bajaj motorcycle. They also went to Agadagba village that very day to rustle cows, but the people actually repelled them. So, they shot one of them in the leg. They couldn’t rustle the cows from there again. Yesterday, being Saturday, they went out again and killed two persons in Agadagba.