Tragedy struck over the weekend in the Munga Lelau community of Karim Lamido Local Government Area, Taraba State, as more than 30 people were killed and many others injured in a brutal attack allegedly carried out by suspected herders.
The violence reportedly stemmed from rising tensions and mutual suspicion between local farmers and herders regarding missing cattle. What began as a dispute quickly escalated into a deadly confrontation, with retaliatory attacks tearing through a community that had lived peacefully together for decades.
Eyewitnesses said the assailants, who arrived on motorcycles, opened fire indiscriminately and set several buildings ablaze. Victims were given a mass burial in accordance with local tradition, which requires immediate interment for those killed in communal violence.
The same weekend saw a separate, smaller incident in Bandawa community, where two people were killed following a confrontation over cattle grazing on farmland.
Residents of Munga Lelau expressed shock and heartbreak over the sudden breakdown of harmony with their Fulani neighbors. Alpharis Philemon, one of the affected locals, said the attack was unexpected and likely linked to land-grabbing motives as the rainy season approaches.
“We’ve always coexisted peacefully with the Fulani. This conflict has no precedent,” he said. “This is about land. Once there is violence, we cannot farm, and the land is taken for grazing. The security forces failed us—they were just minutes away but did not respond for over two hours.”
Local Government Chairman Bitrus Danjos, visibly distraught, condemned the attack as “barbaric” and lamented that residents chose violence over legal recourse. He also noted the vulnerability of the area, which shares porous borders with five other states—Adamawa, Bauchi, Gombe, Nasarawa, and Plateau—making it a hotspot for infiltration by criminal elements.
The violence has displaced many residents, who are now in urgent need of humanitarian support.
In response, Taraba State Governor Agbu Kefas, through a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Digital Communication, Emmanuel Bello, described the incident as “horrendous and unacceptable.” He vowed that the perpetrators would face serious consequences and reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to protecting citizens from external threats and internal unrest.
The attack marks yet another grim reminder of the fragile security situation in rural parts of Nigeria, where longstanding tensions, resource competition, and weak law enforcement continue to fuel violence.