Rita Odafe
Recently, over 100 cattle, believed to belong to armed Fulani herdsmen associated with the ongoing unrest in Benue State, have reportedly perished while trying to cross River Benue.
This event took place on Saturday, where it has been said that many of the cattle met their fate due to a sudden collapse of sandy banks caused by erosion, while others drowned while navigating the river towards Nasarawa State.
According to a witness, Mr. Olikita Ekani, he observed the scene while coming back from his farm on Saturday.
“As I was returning from my farm on Saturday, June 14, 2025, I noticed numerous lifeless cows in the River Benue near Achepe village in Nasarawa State.”
“I also saw many Fulani herders hurrying across from Benue to Nasarawa.”
“When I spoke with the fishermen helping the herdsmen cross to the Nasarawa side, they mentioned that the herders had been quickly moving back to Nasarawa for the past week, suggesting that more attacks might be on the horizon.”
“When such a rush occurs, it usually indicates that assaults are imminent. This has been the pattern in the area for the last week.”
He expressed that they have suffered the loss of over 100 cattle in their attempts to cross from Benue to Nasarawa.
A fisherman, who wished to remain unnamed, noted that 64 cattle died specifically on Saturday alone.
“Most of the lost cattle were either caught under falling debris or drowned during the crossing.”
“We have never seen such strange circumstances leading to cattle deaths before.”
“The key crossing points for them include: Abugbe to Odenyi in Nasarawa State, Ocholonya to Akpekpo, Achukpa to Ijiwo, and Oleg’Ada’Gomowe to Achepe.”
The spokesperson for the Benue State Police Command, DSP Udeme Edet, was unavailable for confirmation of the incident at the time of this report.
