The attack on Aondona, a district community in Gwer West Local Government Area of Benue State, was described as a meticulously planned assault carried out in the evening of Sunday, May 25. Around 4 p.m. that day, approximately 30 heavily armed individuals, suspected to be herdsmen, invaded the community with a clear and violent objective—to kill every resident and raze the entire village.
According to The Nation, eyewitness accounts indicated that some of the attackers wore partial masks, while others were dressed in military-style fatigues. They reportedly announced their presence with rapid gunfire, abruptly ending the community’s peaceful atmosphere. The assailants launched what they termed an “operation one man, one bullet” against local farmers, many of whom were either returning from Sunday church services or had already gone to their farms. Some residents had chosen to stay home due to the day being Sunday.
The attackers’ mission appeared straightforward and brutal: to shoot anyone in sight and destroy homes along with stored food supplies. Tragically, their assault showed no mercy—even children and pregnant women were reportedly among the victims of the carnage.
Another victim of the attack, who identified himself as Japhet Atam, recounted the harrowing experience in a brief conversation with a correspondent, describing how his younger brother and the brother’s wife were brutally murdered.
Atam recalled that around 4 p.m. on the day of the incident, a large group of militia herdsmen stormed the Aondona community and began setting houses on fire. He said that the attackers targeted anyone attempting to flee, including his younger brother and his newlywed wife, both of whom were killed in the assault.
He explained that the militia opened fire on unarmed men, women, and children, while others wielding machetes attacked and killed more victims in what he described as a scene of horrific violence.
Further talking, he said, “The innocent and unarmed people ran frantically, looking for escape routes, but they were sprayed with bullets.”
He feared that a bloody war would soon erupt between Fulani herdsmen and the local Tiv farmers in the state, saying that the killings were too much for the locals to bear.
“If government cannot protect us, we will protect ourselves. We won’t allow them take over our lands,” Atam said.
“Unless urgent steps are taken to halt the mindless and barbaric killing of Tiv farmers in Benue State, they would be left with no choice but to respond to the attacks,” he added.
There is currently a high level of tension in Benue State as the recent killings have left the people of Gwer West Local Government Area deeply traumatised.
The local government area comprises 15 wards, including Sengev, Teambe/Mbesev, Merkyen, Nyamshi, Gaambe-Ushin, Mbachohon, Mbaba, Tijime, Avihijime, Gbaange/Togo, Tyoughatee/Ijaha, Sengev/Yengev, Saghev/Ukusu, Ikyagev, and Mbabuande.
According to a correspondent from *The Nation*, since late last year, residents from more than 11 of these wards have been displaced and are currently seeking refuge in Naka, which serves as the headquarters of the local government area.
