By Mike Odeh James and Olikita Ekani
(Makurdi) It was a bloody week for Christians in Benue State, Central Nigeria, as Fulani Ethnic Militia continued their killing and kidnapping campaigns across the state.
Fulani Terrorists Kill Mother and Son, 2 Others in Agatu Communities
On Wednesday, August 20, 2025, at about 1:30 p.m., Fulani militants simultaneously ambushed two communities in Agatu County—Egwuma and Ogbai—killing four farmers in their fields, including a mother and her son.
“Mrs. Eunice Abu, 35, and her 15-year-old son, Adanu Abu, were hacked to death with machetes while working on their beans farm by Fulani terrorists,” Sunday Abu Odumu, a tribal chief in Egwuma community, told TruthNigeria.
“In neighbouring Ogbai community, two farmers were also killed in their farms,” he added.
An eyewitness and youth leader in Egwuma, Desmond Jeremiah, confirmed the two separate attacks, saying the victims’ corpses had been recovered and buried.
Agatu County Chairman, Hon. Melvin James Ejeh, also confirmed to TruthNigeria the killings, noting that the victims were murdered by Fulani militia who invaded the communities from neighboring Kogi State.
Yelewata: Farmers Hunted in the Shadow of the Military
Even before the Agatu killings, Yelewata—15 miles north of Makurdi—was under siege. On the same day, Fidelis Hemen Jonyi, a 45-year-old farmer, was ambushed and murdered while tending his yam farm.
Witnesses told TruthNigeria that six heavily armed Fulani militiamen, speaking Fulfulde and chanting “Allahu Akbar,” struck just a mile from Yelewata’s center—within sight of a Forward Operating Base (FOB) manned by 30 soldiers with an armored personnel carrier and two Hilux vans.
Only a week earlier, three Christian farmers had been butchered in the same community by a 15-man squad. Women responded by blocking the Makurdi–Lafia highway for three hours, accusing soldiers of standing idle while Fulani “genocidal missions” went unchecked https://truthnigeria.com/2025/08/yelewata-women-chase-out-military-after-fulani-terrorists-kill-3-christians/
Community leader Thomas Ukumba recounted the killing of Jonyi, “Today about 3:13 p.m., while inspecting his yam farm, Mr. Fidelis Hemen Jonyi was gruesomely slashed to death by six Fulani terrorists shouting ‘Allahu Akbar.’ His farm is only a mile away from the center of Yelewata. We took his corpse to the police station and later conveyed it to the Benue State University Teaching Hospital morgue.”
Yelewata youth leader Damian Ugbir voiced his frustration with the military:
“We called to inform the soldiers when we heard sporadic gunshots, but they didn’t respond on time. The attackers left before their arrival.”
More Than 100 Killed Since June 13
From abroad, Franc Utoo, a Yelewata native based in the U.S., lamented:
“Since the June 13 massacre, when more than 270 of our people were killed, over 100 additional residents of Yelewata have been murdered by Fulani terrorists.”
Ukum County: A Dawn Attack in Tse Ikyoyer
The violence is not confined to Yelewata. On August 13, 2025, at 7:12 a.m., Fulani Ethnic Militia led by a commander known as Baba Gule stormed Tse Ikyoyer village in Ukum County, about 85 miles northeast of Makurdi.
“The attackers shot and killed Mr. Aondona Mondo, popularly called Baba Giggs, as he headed to his farm. Several villagers sustained severe gunshot wounds and were rushed to clinics in Zaki-Biam,” Mimido Okuma, a 32-year-old trader, told TruthNigeria.
She added, “The siege lasted nearly an hour, just two kilometers from Zaki-Biam, the county headquarters, where hundreds of security operatives are stationed. Yet no security intervention came. We are all living in fear and we are planning to run away, but where do we go?”
Further south, Fulani terrorists are embedding themselves in Ogbadibo County, about 111 miles southwest of Makurdi, once considered Benue’s peaceful Idoma enclave.
Ogbadibo County: Terror Spreads into Idoma Land
A Night of Terror in Orokam
On August 11, 2025, gunmen stormed Orokam’s Government Residential Area around 11 p.m., abducting Mr. Aminu Sule, General Manager of Orokam Microfinance Bank, and his wife.
“They spoke Hausa and Fulfulde,” said Adakole Omode, 47, a neighbor. “We all knew immediately they were Fulani militants.”
Days earlier, Mr. Enenche Anthony Ogwuche, a farmer and trader, was abducted after attackers disabled his phone line. He remains missing.
Locals told TruthNigeria these are not isolated incidents. More than ten secret abductions of Idoma residents have occurred. Militants now control surrounding forests, preventing locals from hunting, farming, or fetching wood.
“Most people from Ogbadibo are fleeing to Otukpo, Enugu, and Kogi,” one resident said, fearing the terrorists may unleash Yelewata-style carnage on Idoma land.
Former Benue Commissioner Dr. Emmanuel Godwin Oyiwona lamented, “Our land was very peaceful until the introduction of terrorism and kidnapping by Fulani militia. Some local youths are also collaborating with them. The exodus has begun. Farmers, traders, and transport operators are deserting Orokam, fleeing toward Makurdi and Otukpo.”
Curfew and Political Reactions
In response, Hon. Sunday Ameh Ajunwa, Chairman of Ogbadibo County, imposed a dusk-to-dawn curfew on August 17, 2025. He told TruthNigeria the move was to curb kidnappings and allow security agencies to root out the terrorists.
Idoma youth leaders are also raising the alarm. Mike Magaji, President of Ochetoha K’Idoma Youth Wing Worldwide, said:
“The surge in kidnappings, killings, and maiming of innocent citizens has reached an all-time high, leaving communities in fear and uncertainty. As we earlier called on the Fulani terrorists to leave our land, they should leave for us to have peace.”
The group condemned chilling online images of abducted Idoma citizens—some executed, others disappearing without trace.
Senator Abba Moro, Senate Minority Leader and representative of Benue South, also decried the wave of kidnappings, particularly in Orokam.
Through his aide John Eche Ofum, he warned that constituents live in daily fear and urged county and state authorities to coordinate with security agencies. He extended sympathy to freed victims and prayed for the safe return of those still in captivity.
The Bigger Picture: A Middle Belt in Peril
Observers say the Benue crisis mirrors a broader Middle Belt security collapse, with Fulani militia groups operating across borders and embedding themselves in local forests.
Mike Magaji warned of devastating consequences:
Food insecurity as farmers abandon their fields.
Economic collapse as traders and transporters risk ambush.
Cultural disruption as festivals and gatherings are canceled.
The trajectory recalls the fate of Southern Kaduna and Plateau State, where unchecked violence hollowed out entire villages.
For now, life continues under fear’s shadow. Farmers weigh the risks of going to their fields. Parents keep children indoors. Nights are pierced by sudden gunfire.
As Magaji told TruthNigeria, “We used to measure time by harvests. Now we measure it by kidnappings.”
Mike Odeh James and Ekani Olikita are Conflict Reporters for TruthNigeria.
