Military Stood Down, But Police Ran Toward the Danger: Eyewitnesses
‘It Would Have Been Worse than Yelewata Massacre without Police’
By Ekani Olikita
Makurdi, Nigeria- As Americans mark the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, residents of northeast Benue State are mourning 11 locals killed in a new ethnic-cleansing assault Thursday.
More than 200 heavily armed Islamist Fulani Ethnic Militia (IFEM) invaded Ayilamo in Tombo Precinct at about 4:50 p.m. Thursday, September 10, 2026, killing eight Christian residents and four Mobile Police officers who confronted the attackers, according to community officials and eyewitnesses.
Ayilamo, about 112 miles (180 kilometers) northeast of Benue’s capital, Makurdi, is an agrarian community that residents say is about 98 percent Christian, predominantly Catholic. They report repeated attacks by Fulani Ethnic Militia entering from neighboring Taraba and Nasarawa states.
The violence is part of a broader security crisis in Nigeria’s Middle Belt. The Observatory for Religious Freedom in Africa has attributed nearly 24,000 civilian deaths to Fulani militias during a four-year reporting period.
11 Confirmed Dead
Manasseh Umishi, Security Secretary of Tombo Precinct and an eyewitness, confirmed the 11 deaths in a telephone interview with TruthNigeria.
Four Mobile Police officers from MOPOL 32, deployed from Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, were also killed. They were identified as ASP Paul Ina, Inspector Mohammed Yusuf, Inspector Oge Ikechukwu and Inspector Edeh Andrew.
“Yes, there was a deadly attack on our community by more than 200 well-armed Fulani ethnic militia who crossed in wooden boats from Arufu and Akwana in Wukari Local Government Area (County) of Taraba State and Awe County in Nasarawa State,”
He alleged that some attackers carried automatic weapons and machetes and shouted “Allahu Akbar” while attacking residents.
“I narrowly escaped death because I hid myself on the rooftop but I saw all that was happening. I heard the attackers speaking Fulani language and chanting Allahu Akbar while shooting and macheting our people”, Umishi told TruthNigeria
Eyewitnesses Accuse Military of Standing Down
Umishi said the attackers approached the community within about 200 meters of a Forward Operating Base operated by Operation Whirl Stroke, a military task force deployed to combat violence in the region.
“We made several calls to the military during the attack, which lasted for almost one hour, but there was no response,” Umishi told TruthNigeria
Another resident, Terhemba Aondowase, credited police for preventing an even larger massacre.
According to Aondowase, about 150 police personnel, including members of the Benue State Police Command, Operation Zendan and MOPOL 32, engaged the attackers for approximately one hour, forcing them to withdraw.
“The death toll would have been more than that of Yelewata if not for police intervention, as the military refused to respond,” Aondowase told TruthNigeria
The June 2025 Yelewata massacre in Benue, in which 270 were reported killed, drew international condemnation and renewed attention to Nigeria’s protection of vulnerable Christian farming communities
Local Official Calls for Police Garrison to Replace Military
Clement Kav, chairman of Logo County, criticized the military’s alleged failure to respond to attacks in Ayilamo and neighboring Ugba.
“This is not the first time military personnel stationed at Ayilamo and Ugba have failed to respond to armed Fulani terrorist invasions,” Kav said.
He said he had written to military authorities and the state government, calling for Mobile Police units to replace military personnel at the affected locations.
False Reporting about Timing of the Attack?
Whereas eyewitnesses and residents interviewed by TruthNigeria said the attack took place between 4:50 and 5:45 pm local time, Punch Newspaper reported that it happened late Thursday night and into the early hours of Friday morning, and Friday night, prompting claims by some locals that a local newspaper incorrectly reported the time.
Security Analyst: Warning Signs for U.S. Counterterrorism Policy
“The Ayilamo attack raises serious questions about Nigeria’s capacity to protect vulnerable Christian communities and coordinate its security forces. When armed groups can move across state boundaries, attack a community for nearly an hour and allegedly operate close to a military position without an effective response, it points to an intelligence, rapid-response and accountability problem that cannot be solved by military deployments alone,” Christopher Ayati, a Security Analyst and Director of Information with Benue State Government, told TruthNigeria.
Ayati added that the killing of four police officers also demonstrates that Nigeria’s security crisis is affecting the forces deployed to protect civilians.
Why It Matters to Washington
The Ayilamo attack matters to the U.S. government persistent attacks against rural Christian communities could deepen displacement, undermine food production and weaken public confidence in Nigeria’s security institutions. They also raise questions about whether U.S.-supported security assistance, intelligence cooperation and counterterrorism programs are producing adequate civilian protection.
For Washington, the issue extends beyond religious persecution. Repeated communal attacks, weak accountability and the movement of armed groups across state borders can contribute to wider instability in West Africa, potentially creating conditions that extremist organizations can exploit.
Ekani Olikita is a Conflict Reporter for TruthNigeria.
