Suspected armed herders on Tuesday evening killed five farmers in Udeku Maav-Ya community, Mbakyol Council Ward, Turan District of Kwande Local Government Area, Benue State.
Local sources said the incident occurred around 4 pm while residents were harvesting yams and bambara nuts, throwing the community into panic.
One of the locals, who identified himself as Terna, said the attackers did not withdraw immediately after the assault, causing heightened tension in the area.
Confirming the attack, the chairman of Kwande Local Government Area, Tersua Yarkwan, described the community as a vulnerable border settlement that shares an international boundary with Cameroon, noting that the terrain complicates security operations.
Yarkwan warned that repeated attacks during harvest season pose a serious threat to food security, while former Supervisory Councillor Akerigba Lawrence decried the ongoing destruction of homes, crops, and economic trees, as well as restricted access to water sources.
Lawrence identified three of the victims as Tyozua Gyuse, Gbaga Gyuse, and Tersuur Ijighka, adding that the names of two others were still unknown, and said search operations were ongoing for missing residents.
He also noted that schools, churches, and markets had been forced to close following repeated attacks, raising concerns over the seasonal influx of armed herders in Benue communities.
Efforts to reach the state Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Udeme Edet, were unsuccessful at the time of filing this report.