Tension is mounting in parts of Otukpo Local Government Area after a series of violent attacks left a Fulani herder dead and more than 20 cows slaughtered.
The incidents have sparked fears of escalating communal clashes and raised questions about the effectiveness of local security agencies.
The incidents occurred between December 4 and 5, affecting Ondo, Ogobia, Ugboju, and Otukpo Nobi communities, areas already familiar with periodic tensions. Concerns intensified following allegations that a key suspect in the attacks was released by police shortly after being arrested, angering community members and deepening mistrust of law enforcement.
According to local sources, the crisis escalated on December 5 when armed men from the Ondo community in Ogobia allegedly ambushed Hassan Sule, a well-known Fulani herder popularly called Alhaji Foder. Sule was reportedly on a motorcycle with one of his labourers to check on his cattle when the attackers opened fire. The labourer survived with injuries, but Sule was killed instantly.
Panic spread among Fulani families in the area, prompting them to alert troops of the Nigerian Army stationed at the Ogobia post. Soldiers reportedly mobilised and accompanied the herders to recover Sule’s body. However, eyewitnesses claimed the attackers struck again, attempting a second ambush.
“The soldiers returned fire instantly and overpowered them,” said a source familiar with the operation as quoted by Zagazola. “One of the attackers was arrested alive and disarmed.”
The arrest appeared to offer a breakthrough, but the suspect was reportedly handed over to the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Ogoli/Ogboju for questioning and released less than an hour later. Fulani leaders say attempts to question the DPO were dismissed. The officer allegedly stated the military had “no right” to arrest and hand over suspects, insisting he “knew how to do his work.”
The killings followed a separate attack on December 4, when armed youths from Otukpo Nobi reportedly raided grazing areas, killing over 20 cows and injuring several others.
The Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), Benue State Chapter, confirmed the attacks and decried the police response, describing the incidents as “coordinated, unprovoked and aimed at instigating a wider crisis.”
In a petition to the Commissioner of Police, MACBAN stated: “These persistent and unprovoked attacks constitute a serious threat to peace, security and inter-community harmony. Our member, Hassan Sule, was killed in cold blood, and over 20 cows were slaughtered. Worse still, the suspect arrested by the Army was released without investigation.”
MACBAN demanded the immediate re-arrest of the released suspect, a full-scale investigation into the killings and livestock destruction, and increased security deployment to prevent further attacks.
A police source, speaking anonymously, told Zagazola that on December 5, Alhaji Usman Amodu, a Fulani from Onyilaba Ukpobi in Ohimini LGA, reported the attack to the DPO of Ogoli. The source said: “The DPO mobilised a patrol team with detectives to the scene. The corpse was photographed, removed, and deposited at the mortuary. The nearby bushes were thoroughly combed, and efforts were ongoing to identify and track the suspects for arrest.”
The source, however, said he was unaware of any arrest or release of a suspect as claimed by Fulani leaders.
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