Governor Hyacinth Alia of Benue State, yesterday, warned armed herders against unprovoked attacks on communities in the state. The warning came on the heels of intensified attacks on defenceless farmers and farming communities by militant herdsmen in the past few days.
 
The latest was a coordinated attack on three different communities across the state, which lasted from Tuesday night to the early hours of Wednesday.
  
The Guardian learnt that the two communities of Ayilamo and Nahanga in Logo Local Council and the Mbalam community in Mbachohon district, Gwer West Local Council were the latest casualties of the coordinated attacks.
 
Three days ago, the Tswarev/Ukemberagya community in Logo was attacked, a day after a fully loaded 18-seater Benue Links bus was waylaid on the Makurdi-Naka road and all passengers abducted with one killed at the spot. None of the abducted passengers has been released.
 
Barely two weeks ago, Daudu town, a town at the outskirts of Makurdi was similarly under siege.  Responding to the latest attacks, Governor Alia frowned at the nefarious activities of the herders who maim and kill innocent Benue citizens in cold blood for reasons, which are difficult to understand.
 
He said Benue is an agrarian society whose economy is largely based on producing and maintaining crops and farmlands, and “we cannot watch our people killed daily on their farmlands and their villages for a cause very unknown to us.”
 
The governor, who lamented cases of alleged herdsmen attacks on Benue communities leading to loss of lives and property, said he would not rest until such barbaric acts are curtailed.