DISASTER: Herdsmen kill 5,000 people in Benue community

Over the past decade, Moon council ward in the Kwande local government area of Benue State has witnessed an unspeakable tragedy, with over 5,000 lives lost to the hands of marauding herdsmen since 2013.

Isaac Sor, the fleeing president-general of the Moon Development Association, revealed this harrowing reality in an interview with LEADERSHIP. He recounted the devastating toll on the community, noting that more than 10 primary and secondary schools, along with all community health clinics, have been razed to the ground. The entire council ward now stands deserted, its once vibrant streets now haunted by the absence of its people.

Sor pleaded with governments at all levels to heed the desperate plight of the Moon people. He described a scene of utter destruction—houses reduced to rubble, crops trampled, livestock slaughtered, and once-thriving farms turned to wastelands. The estimated cost of the properties lost in the invasion is staggering, amounting to over N100 billion.

“The 2017 enactment of the Open Grazing Prohibition and Ranches Establishment Law by former Governor Samuel Ortom provided some relief,” Sor acknowledged. “Many of our community members, especially the men, returned to eke out a living through subsistence farming. However, the recent wave of invasions has dealt a fatal blow to our efforts. Many have lost their lives, and those who survived have fled, leaving behind only the armed herders.”

The Moon president lamented the heart-wrenching inability to bury their loved ones in their ancestral homes. “Without the assistance of security agencies, most of our deceased lay unburied in the bush, their remains left to decay where they fell,” he added.

With a fervent appeal to the administration of Governor Hyacinth Alia, Sor urged for the strict enforcement of the Anti-Open Grazing Law to purge their lands of the killer herdsmen. He also called upon the government, churches, organizations, and philanthropists to extend a helping hand to the scattered Moon people, now seeking refuge in neighboring communities.

In a related account, Mongo Tarvershima, a fleeing member from the invaded Kyurav community, shared a similar tale of loss and despair. He recounted how nine members of his community, including his blood brothers, fell victim to the relentless attacks. Tarvershima pointed to a potential cause for the sustained violence, citing the recent discovery of assorted mineral resources in the area.

He pleaded for increased security presence at the boundary communities, emphasizing that lasting peace could only be restored through concerted efforts from all levels of government.

Reports indicate that Moon council ward, once renowned for its abundant production of rice, yam, soybeans, and sesame among other crops, has remained under siege for over a decade, a grim testament to the enduring struggle of its displaced and devastated inhabitants.