MAIDUGURI, Nigeria, — At least 14 people were killed and several others injured after gunmen attacked a village in Nigeria’s Benue State on Tuesday, according to local authorities, in the latest incident linked to the country’s long-running farmer-herder conflict.
The attack took place in Efeyi village, located in the Otukpo area of Benue State, during the early hours of Tuesday.
Otukpo Local Government Chairman Maxwell Ogiri told Reuters that armed assailants stormed the community without warning, killing at least 14 residents and injuring several others.
Ogiri blamed the attack on suspected Fulani militia, saying similar assaults had occurred in nearby communities in recent days.
Benue State has remained one of Nigeria’s deadliest flashpoints for violence between predominantly Christian farming communities and largely Muslim Fulani herders. The conflict is driven by disputes over land, grazing routes, and access to natural resources, with hundreds of people killed in recent years.
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Fulani organizations have repeatedly denied responsibility for attacks on farming communities, and no group has claimed responsibility for Tuesday’s assault.
Benue State Police spokesperson Udeme Edet said security personnel had been deployed to the affected area, adding that an investigation into the attack is underway.
The latest violence underscores ongoing security challenges in Nigeria’s central belt, where clashes between farmers and herders continue to fuel instability despite repeated government efforts to restore peace.
