Wednesday, March, 11 2026 - Barely a week after the governors of Taraba and Benue states met to address the growing insecurity in border communities, suspected armed herders have ambushed farmers in Donga Local Government Area of Taraba State, killing two persons and injuring several others.
The attack occurred on Monday at Tse-Ukwe community in
Donga, a local government area located between Takum and Wukari—two areas that
recently hosted the governors during an on-the-spot assessment of internally
displaced persons (IDPs) camps.
Sources in the area said the victims were displaced farmers
who had earlier fled their homes due to persistent attacks and were currently
taking refuge at the Tor-Damsa IDP camp in the local government area.
Taraba State Governor, Dr Agbu Kefas, and his Benue State
counterpart, Hyacinth Alia, had on March 2, 2026, convened a stakeholders’
meeting in Wukari with traditional rulers, government officials and community
leaders to deliberate on the security challenges along the Benue–Taraba border.
At the meeting, both governors pledged to strengthen
collaboration between the two states through intelligence sharing and
coordinated support for security agencies to track down those responsible for
the persistent violence.
However, the latest attack has heightened fears among
residents who say insecurity continues to threaten lives and livelihoods in the
area.
The Ter-Donga, traditional ruler of the Tiv people in Donga
Local Government Area, Zaki Ugondu Uma, confirmed the incident, saying the
victims were attacked by armed men suspected to be herders while returning from
their farms.
According to him, the farmers had gone to their farmlands to
retrieve food items but were ambushed on their way back to the IDP camp.
“The two people that were killed on March 9, 2026, are IDPs
who had earlier been displaced by the same attackers. They are currently taking
refuge at Tor-Damsa. They went to their farms to collect foodstuff and while
returning, the attackers ambushed them at Tse-Ukwe,”
he explained.
He identified the victims as 32-year-old Boniface Aondowase
and 35-year-old Aondoakuea Adi, both from Tse-Kur village in Donga Local
Government Area.
He added that several other farmers escaped from the attack
with varying degrees of injuries, noting that those who fled the scene claimed
they recognised the attackers.
“Those who escaped saw the attackers clearly and said they were Fulani,” he
alleged.
The traditional ruler further disclosed that soldiers later
arrived at the scene and recovered the bodies of the victims, which were handed
over to the community for burial.
According to him, the victims were buried later that same evening.
Uma appealed to the government and security agencies to
urgently intervene, warning that displaced persons currently taking refuge at
Tor-Damsa are living in fear following reports of possible fresh attacks.
“We are hearing rumours that the attackers are planning to
come and strike here in Tor-Damsa very soon.
“Our people have already been chased away from their
communities and are now taking refuge here, yet they are still being killed.
Where do we run to again to save our lives?” he lamented.
Efforts to obtain an official response from the police were
unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report.
0 Comments