Beheadings, Rape, and Fear grip Makurdi Area as Security Forces Withdraw
By Mike Odeh James and Olikita Ekani
(Makurdi) A new wave of violence has swept through Benue State, leaving five Christian farmers dead in coordinated attacks by suspected Fulani jihadists on communities near Yelewata in Guma County.
The killings happened in Tse-Nyibiam Ngban (Nyiev Precinct) and Ukpiam (Mbabai Precinct)—agrarian Christian villages located just 8 –10 km south of Makurdi, and a short distance from Yelewata, where more than 200 Christians were massacred on June 13–14, 2025.
Both communities are overwhelmingly Christian, with Ukpiam nearly 99 percent Catholic.
Killed in the Same Rice Farm as His Father
On Saturday, August 2, 2025, tragedy struck the Iorhen Igbawua family for the second time in less than three months.
“About 10 well-armed Fulani militia, around 4:25 pm (15:25 GMT), ambushed Terkimbi and his mother while they were working in their rice farm and slashed them to death,” said Mathias Mton, a resident of Tse-Nyibiam, speaking to TruthNigeria.
Terkimbi’s wife, who was with them, was kidnapped, tortured, and raped before being released an hour later.
Mton noted that Benjamin Iorhen, Terkimbi’s father, was killed in the same rice farm by Fulani terrorists in May 2025.
“Despite government assurances, our people are being killed almost every day. We need security,” Mton said.
Three More Christians Killed in Ukpiam
In Ukpiam, 6 km south of Yelewata, three more Christians were killed in two separate attacks on Thursday, July 24, and Sunday, July 27, despite a heavy security presence in nearby Yelewata, Ortese, and Daudu.
One of the victims, Gabriel Vandefan, was beheaded and mutilated while harvesting millet.
“He dared hunger by going to his farm. About 10 Fulani jihadists shouting ‘Allahu Akbar’ and speaking Fulfude ambushed him, beheaded him, and cut off his hand,” said Geoffrey Jimin, a Ukpiam resident and former senior aide to a Benue governor.
Two other victims—Catholic worshippers returning from Sunday Mass—were ambushed on the Ukpiam–Umenger Road.
“They were shot at close range in the head and chest. The jihadists waited to ensure they were dead before leaving. No swift reaction came from the security personnel stationed nearby,” said Tivta Samuel, a Guma community leader and local security expert.
Security Forces Withdrew Before the Attacks
Residents say the killings followed the sudden withdrawal of Mobile Police Counter-Terrorism units from Ukpiam a week earlier.
“As if the terrorists knew, they tried to overrun Ukpiam at 10:30 pm on Friday, July 18. Our youth resisted. They returned on Thursday and Sunday to kill,” Jimin told TruthNigeria.
He warned that the attacks were part of a coordinated campaign.
“The aim is to drive us out through repeated killings, kidnappings, and intimidation so they can take our land and establish terrorist enclaves.”
Diaspora Leader: ‘This Is Genocide’
From Oklahoma, USA, Barr. Franc Utoo, a Yelewata native, condemned the attacks and accused the militants of pursuing a religious cleansing agenda.
“Our people are being killed systematically in Ukpiam, Yelewata, Ortese, Igbam, Ukohol, Daudu, and neighboring villages despite President Tinubu’s directive to crack down on terrorist networks in Benue.”
“These killings are part of the Fulani jihadist agenda to wipe out my people, seize our land, and rename our communities. But just like Othman Dan Fodio failed in 1804, they will fail in Benue,” Utoo vowed.
Police Confirm the Incident
Benue State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Udeme Edet, confirmed the attacks to TruthNigeria.
“The Command has received the report and has swiftly deployed personnel to provide security to the affected communities and pursue the perpetrators,” he said.
Despite this assurance, locals say they feel abandoned. As the killings continue and police response remains inconsistent, fear of religious and ethnic cleansing hangs over the farming belt of Guma County.
“We are calling on the international community to come to our rescue, because our government can no longer protect us,” Jimin pleaded to TruthNigeria.
