Fulani Terrorists Suspected in Killing of 15 Farmers in Benue. Christians Stage Protest Demanding Protection.
By Mike Odeh James and Olikita Ekani
Makurdi—A massacre in Apa County and a federal highway blockade expose the widening failure of Nigeria’s state to protect its Middle Belt Christian communities.
Fulani terrorists shot dead at least 15 indigenous Christian farmers harvesting cashew nuts in Benue State’s Apa County on Friday, March 13, igniting fresh outrage across Nigeria’s Middle Belt and forcing displaced villagers into open protest against continuing insecurity and displacement, according to Daily Post reporting that police had commenced a search after herdsmen killed six in the area (Daily Post).
“The victims are residents of Ojantele community; some of them are also from the displaced communities in Agatu County. A lot of them had no food to eat, so they went to the nearby fields after rainfall to harvest cashew nuts when Fulani gunmen opened fire without warning, scattering survivors into the surrounding bush,” Agada Adiku, a resident of Ojantele who lost two of his brothers in the attack, told TruthNigeria.
“When the shooting subsided, bodies had been recovered; others were wounded and transferred to a hospital in Ugbogo, Apa’s county headquarters,” Adiku concluded. Additional local reporting confirmed the killings (PM News Nigeria).
Community members warned the death toll could rise, as several residents remained unaccounted for in nearby forests and outlying farms where search efforts were still ongoing at the time of reporting.
Using Cattle as Pretext
Witnesses said the attackers moved through the area with cattle before launching the assault, using livestock as cover to approach the farming settlement — a tactic residents say has become common in repeated Fulani Ethnic Militia strikes across Benue’s rural Christian communities. The Benue governor condemned the killings as a terrorist act (WorldStage News).
“If you go anywhere in Agatu land or Apa land, you will notice that Fulani terrorists are using cattle as a pretext to kill people and grab our lands. They have taken over our land,” Idenu Odeh told TruthNigeria.
Local residents say the tactic allows armed fighters to blend in with pastoral herds before quickly turning violent once close to farming communities.
Apa County Chairman Adams Ada Ochega confirmed the attack and said he was awaiting a full security briefing and casualty report from security agencies as investigations continue, as also reported by Mathew Tegha Blog (MathewTegha).
Highway of Anger
The Ojantele massacre quickly triggered wider anger. On Saturday, March 14, hundreds of displaced villagers from Agatu and Apa counties blocked the Oweto–Otukpo Federal Highway in a mass protest that temporarily halted traffic on the strategic route linking Benue State to the Federal Capital Territory (Daily Post).
Carrying placards and chanting protest songs, demonstrators accused state and federal authorities of failing to protect rural communities despite years of repeated killings, kidnappings, and forced displacement. Local outlets documented the protest and its demands (Idoma Voice).
Residents said the protest was the culmination of long-simmering frustration among families who have spent years living away from their ancestral lands after waves of attacks.
More than 15 villages in Agatu West have been overrun by armed herders since 2013, leaving hundreds dead and forcing more than 200 internally displaced persons into makeshift shelters along riverbanks and abandoned buildings.
“They have every right to protest and demand to return to their ancestral lands,” Agatu County Chairman Melvin Ejeh told TruthNigeria.
A Chairman’s Promise
Credit: Agatu County Press.
Ejeh went further, announcing what he described as a concrete security initiative aimed at preventing further attacks on rural communities in Agatu. His comments were carried by Northern Vanguard (NorthernVang report).
“I have made all the necessary arrangements to bring a military base into Agatu, closer to the areas where the conflicts are taking place. They will have armoured vehicles, tanks, and drones,” Ejeh said.
“They will not remain on the highways but will be embedded with the villagers. The military will work in conjunction with local vigilante groups,” he added.
He stressed that the planned deployment would position security forces within vulnerable communities rather than confining soldiers to highway checkpoints that residents say have failed to stop attacks on farming settlements.
Whether the deployment materializes quickly enough to prevent further violence remains uncertain. Residents say similar promises have been made in the past without lasting results.
“Covering Up Genocide”
The latest massacre comes amid growing international scrutiny of Nigeria’s handling of violence against Christian communities in the Middle Belt and parts of the North. A recent World News Group podcast examined the pattern of attacks and government response (WNG Podcast).
“The Nigerian government is not only failing to protect its Christian citizens, but it is covering up the scale of the atrocities and allowing terror groups to thrive in plain sight. The time for polite diplomacy is over,” Judd Saul, Executive Director of Equipping the Persecuted, said during testimony at the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington in September 2025 (Christian Newswire).
Saul said his organization had issued advance intelligence warnings to Nigerian police, military, and local government authorities about impending attacks.
“Our alerts achieved an 89 percent accuracy rate, yet Nigerian authorities failed to intervene in every instance,” he said.
Congressional Findings
Saul’s warning echoes findings submitted to the United States Congress following a bipartisan fact-finding mission to Nigeria in February 2026. The report was presented at the National Press Club (Press Club event).
The congressional report concluded that Christian communities in Nigeria continue to face sustained attacks from well-armed Fulani militias and terrorist groups, resulting in tens of thousands of deaths, including pastors and priests, and the destruction of thousands of churches, homes, and schools. A related documentary has also highlighted the crisis (TruthNigeria documentary).
Data compiled by Open Doors recorded more than 7,000 Christians killed in Nigeria in 2025 alone, making the country one of the deadliest places in the world for Christians.
Nigeria’s federal government has consistently rejected accusations of genocide.
Foreign Affairs Minister Yusuf Tuggar has argued that the violence reflects competition over land and resources rather than religious persecution, while First Lady Oluremi Tinubu dismissed claims of systematic extermination during a February 2026 interview.
A Cycle Unbroken
For the displaced residents of Agatu and the grieving families in Ojantele, however, debates over terminology matter far less than the urgent need for security and the chance to return home.
Across Benue’s fertile plains, once-thriving farming settlements now stand empty or partially abandoned as communities flee repeated waves of attacks.
Fields that once produced cassava, yam, and cashew nuts now lie untended or are occupied by armed groups, residents say.
The cashew trees of Ojantele still stand, their branches heavy with fruit.
But the persecuted Christians who once harvested them may never return.
Mike Odeh James and Ekani Olikita are Conflict Reporters for TruthNigeria
