At approximately 4 am on Sunday, armed militias (described as terrorists or armed men, with unconfirmed reports identifying them as Fulani militiamen) attacked Igama community in Edumoga Ehaje district, Okpokwu Local Government Area, Benue State. The attackers besieged the village, opened fire on residents, and set almost all buildings on fire. At least 11 people were killed, mostly youths, while the elderly and women were reportedly allowed to escape. The attack lasted for about two hours, from 4 am to 6 am.
12 Jun 2022 · Igama, Okpokwu, Benue
Deaths
11
Kidnapped
0
Total casualties
11
Perpetrators
Communal/Ethnic Militias
Response
The Okpokwu LGA Chairman, Amina Audu, confirmed the attack and stated that security forces (soldiers and police) had been deployed to the area. The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) for Benue Command, SP Catherine Anene, confirmed the incident but noted that the command was yet to receive full details from officers at the scene.
Displacement
0
Socioeconomic drivers
Ethnic and communal tensions in Benue State, particularly between farming and herding communities. Weak state security presence in rural areas, allowing militias to operate with impunity. The targeting of youths while sparing the elderly and women suggests a calculated message.
Trajectory
The attack on Igama was part of a broader wave of communal violence that had plagued Benue State since the passage of the anti‑open grazing law in 2017. The attack also followed a pattern of reprisal attacks between farming and herding communities in Okpokwu LGA.
Cycle notes
The attack on Igama directly echoed the 27 April 2021 Abagena community massacre in Makurdi LGA, where residents were killed and houses destroyed – all part of a sustained pattern of communal violence targeting rural communities in Benue State. The method – a dawn raid, shooting residents, and burning houses – mirrored the 14 September 2025 attack on Ikn'gwakap community in Bokkos LGA, Plateau State, and the 28 December 2013 Tashan Alade wedding massacre, where attackers also struck at dawn. The deployment of security forces after the attack mirrored the response to the 27 April 2021 Abagena IDP camp attack, where the governor visited the scene and condemned the violence.
Pattern
Communal clash
Related — Communal Violence
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