Benue State Governor, Reverend Father Hyacinth Lormem Alia has confirmed the killing of 23 persons by herdsmen who invaded the Naka community and other communities in Apa and Gwer West local government areas on Sunday.

The Governor in a statement he issued on his personal X social media profile, said, the attacks on the locals were unprovoked.

On Tuesday, large numbers of women were seen on protest march in Apa local government area over the weekend herdsmen killings which the women said have continued unabated due to government negligent attitude of governance.

The women, dressed in black and carrying placards, marched through major roads, demanding urgent intervention from the state and federal governments.

The women gathered at the major road in Ugbokpo, the Local Government Area headquarters, expressing deep anguish over the escalating violence that has left many widowed and children orphaned.

It was gathered that Communities like Ijaha Ikobi, Edikwu-Ankpali, and Odugbo have suffered multiple deadly attacks in recent times.

Protesting with one of the placard inscriptions; “Voice of the Hopeless Women”, the women presented a letter at the local government headquarters  detailing their pain over what they described as relentless assaults on their families, homes, and farmlands.

Benue State Governor, Hyacinth Lormem Alia in a statement stated that: “It is with a heavy heart that I confirm the loss of 23 innocent lives; 12 in Apa and 11 in Gwer West local government areas, due to brutal and unprovoked attacks.

These killings are unacceptable, and as your Governor, I will not sit idle while our communities are turned into killing fields.

Following an emergency security council meeting this morning at Government House, I have ordered joint security forces to immediately move into the affected areas and beyond.

Their mission is clear: stop the violence, sweep the communities, and restore peace.

This government stands firmly with every grieving family and displaced resident. We are mobilizing every available resource to protect lives and bring those responsible for these heinous acts to justice.

More updates will follow as our security teams are on the ground. I urge all citizens to remain vigilant and cooperate with security operatives as they carry out their duty”.

Benue State Police Command of the Nigeria Police Force, in a statement on Monday, said that the commissioner of police in the state has redeployed and relocated some of its top officers to the affected communities with a mandate to restore peace and order and as well arrest perpetrators of the crime.

“The Benue State Police Command, under the leadership of CP Emenari Ifeanyi has deployed resources to flash points in the state including Apa and Gwer-west Local Government Areas where ten and twelve persons lost their lives respectively and five others were hospitalized.

In the last one month, personnel posted to these areas have been contending with these attackers and have supressed them in most areas.

Unfortunately, these drowning bandits searched for vulnerable persons and attacked (them), killing some persons on 1st June, 2025.

However, the CP assures affected communities of his resolve to fight these attackers till they submit to the rule of law.

He has deployed additional police officers to beef up security and mandated them arrest offenders and prevent such unprovoked attacks.

The CP commiserates with families and friends of the deceased and redeploys personnel to cover up entries and exits to flash points”, the police stated as contained in the press release signed and made available by DSP Udeme Edet, the Police Command Public Relations Officer.

Meanwhile, the former Anambra State Governor and former presidential candidate of Labour Party in the last concluded Nigeria general elections, Peter Obi in a statement some days ago, blamed the continued killings and high level of insecurity in Nigeria on leadership failure.

He said; “The news of the continued senseless killings that have gripped parts of Taraba, Benue, and Kogi States in recent times is heartbreaking. What we are witnessing is not merely violence. It is a failure of leadership and a gaping wound in the soul of our nation.

In recent months, a wave of violence has devastated communities across Taraba, Benue, and Kogi, claiming countless lives and wiping out families. Among the victims are children, women, and even men of faith, casualties of a prolonged crisis that shows no sign of abating.

The bloodshed is staggering, yet the response remains weak and muted. As homes are destroyed and communities torn apart, we risk normalizing the unacceptable: mass killings, displacement, and the collapse of law and order. These are not mere statistics, they are our fellow Nigerians. Each life lost is a tragedy that must not be ignored.

I have always maintained that the primary duty of the National government is the protection of life and property. When this duty is repeatedly ignored when innocent citizens are butchered and nothing changes, we must ask ourselves: What kind of nation are we building? What future are we promising our children?

I mourn with the good people of Taraba, Benue, and Kogi. I share their grief, and I feel their pain. But I also raise my voice because silence in the face of such horror is complicity. We need urgent action, not rhetoric. We need justice, not excuses. We as leaders must value human life and will defend it with everything we have.

Nigeria can not continue like this. This is not the Nigeria we deserve. We must end this bloodshed. We must reclaim our humanity”, Peter Obi stated.