Benue death toll tops 7,000 under Tinubu, threatening national food supply

More than 7,000 people have been killed in Benue state since President Bola Tinubu took office two years ago, according to Amnesty International, a staggering toll that fuels fears of worsening Nigeria’s food crisis.

Despite repeated promises to tackle insecurity, killings by suspected armed herders have continued in farming communities across one of Nigeria’s most important food-producing states.

Amnesty International says 6,896 people were killed in Benue between May 2023 and May 2025. Fresh violence over the weekend pushed that number beyond 7,000 after between 150 and 200 people were massacred in coordinated attacks on Yelwata community.

In a report released May 28 to mark Tinubu’s two years in office, Amnesty said at least 10,217 people have been killed in attacks by gunmen across Benue, Edo, Katsina, Kebbi, Plateau, Sokoto, and Zamfara states. Benue accounts for the highest toll, followed by Plateau with 2,630 deaths.

Many of the attacks have targeted homes, grain reserves, clinics, schools, and places of worship. Amnesty found that all of Benue’s 23 local governments have been hit, with repeated attacks in Ukum, Logo, Katsina-Ala, Gwer West, Gwer East, Apa, and Agatu. More than 148 villages have been sacked across seven local governments.

Beyond farmer-herder clashes

Benue officials and traditional rulers say the violence is not random but part of an organized campaign to seize land from indigenous farmers.

“Of late, what we experience and what we see is more appalling, much stronger, and way beyond farmer-herder crisis. We are being attacked by bandits and terrorists,” Governor Hyacinth Alia told Channels Television.

Speaking directly to Tinubu during his visit to the state Wednesday, the Tor Tiv and chair of the Benue Traditional Rulers Council, James Ayatse, said: “What we are dealing with in Benue is a well-calculated, well-planned, full-scale genocidal invasion and land-grabbing campaign by herder terrorists and bandits.”

Tinubu drew criticism for taking too long to respond to the tragedy and urging “dialogue and reconciliation” in his first reaction. On his visit, alongside Defence Chief Christopher Musa and Police Inspector-General Kayode Egbetokun, he ordered security forces to hunt down the attackers,

But many locals say stronger action is needed. “All we are asking for in Benue is peace,” Ayatse said.

Based on media reports, some of the victims of the Yelwata attack were internally displaced people who had fled earlier violence, only to be killed where they sought refuge.

“This brutal attack is the latest reminder of how badly the government has failed to protect communities from violence and secure accountability,” said Anietie Ewang, Nigeria researcher at Human Rights Watch. “The authorities should move quickly and effectively to investigate this attack.”

Farms destroyed, food supply at risk

Benue is a major supplier of staples such as yam, rice, and soybeans. But with thousands of farmers dead or living in displacement camps, food production has plunged. As Nigerians battle an unprecedented cost of living crisis, national food inflation – the rate at which food prices rise – was 21.26% across the country in April, measured over the last year.

In Benue, food inflation surged to 51.78% in April 2025 – the highest in the country and the state’s worst rate in at least five years – according to the National Bureau of Statistics. Before the violence intensified in March, food inflation in the state was below 30%.

More than 450,000 people have been displaced in Benue, with some camps also attacked, leaving survivors homeless twice over.

Analysts warn that sustained violence in key food-producing states like Benue will drive up food prices and worsen inflation already straining Nigerian households.