When the Benue State Civil Protection Guards (BSCPG) was launched in December 2024, the goal of the state government was to combat criminality and insecurity.

During the official unveiling of the local security outfit on December 14, Governor Hyacinth Iormem Alia said the guards would help create an environment where residents could live, farm, work and thrive without fear.

Between then and now, the state has recorded several instances of killings, kidnapping and farmer-herder attacks. To worsen the situation, three members of the local security guards were killed on Monday by suspected armed herdsmen.

FIJ learnt that they were killed in Garuwa, a village located in Gwer West Local Government Area (LGA).

READ ALSO: Terrorists Attack Kebbi Villages, Kill 13

Residents, who were enraged by their deaths, coupled with the spate of killings within and outside the area, staged a protest in the early hours of Tuesday in Naka, the headquarters of Gwer West LGA.

Some of them were shot during the demonstration.

A source, who does not want to be named, told FIJ that the protest broke out when the bodies of the three victims were brought to Naka to be buried.

The protesters burnt down part of the Local Government Council Secretariat in Naka and the palace of the monarch. They also set a hotel on fire. The hotel belongs to the senator representing Benue North-West senatorial district, under which Gwer West is situated.

The Killing of the Security Guards

According to the source, the local security guards were on patrol on the day of the attack. They were trying to monitor any movements by suspected armed herders in the area surrounding Garuwa Village.

However, before they entered the bush where their attackers killed them, some military personnel had warned them not to go into the bush where the herders were suspected to be hiding.

“This was suspicious, so they asked the conventional security personnel why they were being restricted from going there. There were concerns that the military men might be collaborating with terrorist herders, collecting bribes from them,” the source said.

When FIJ asked why the villagers felt this way, he said the villagers have had to pay soldiers for protection.

“If the villagers are ambushed or attacked, and they call the conventional security, they will not show up. By conventional security, it is the police and the army, but mostly the army,” the source said.

“They will say they are not allowed to leave their duty post. But when the villagers try to defend themselves against the attackers, the army threatens them, asking who allowed them to carry guns.”

FIJ gathered that if a villager is killed in the bush, the family must pay the military to escort them to retrieve the body.

“If you want to go to your farm, you must pay them,” the source added. “Otherwise, you risk being attacked. But if you go with just one soldier, even if there are 20 herders, they will not attack. So, we are beginning to ask: could the army be collaborating with the herders?”

The attack on the Civil Protection Guards happened after they shunned the army’s warning and proceeded into the bush.

“So, when the vigilantes were told not to go down into the bush, the people were suspicious. But immediately they moved into the bush, the Fulanis attacked and killed three of them.”

And Then the Protest…

When their bodies were brought back to town in the early hours of Tuesday, the residents expressed their anger and frustration through a protest.

Some residents speculated that the attack on the Civil Protection Guards might have been orchestrated.

“The army had stationed personnel in three locations, but the protesters said they don’t need the army in their place because they were not helping matters,” FIJ’s source explained.

“When the conventional security told the local security outfit members not to go into the bush, and they refused, people felt they must have signalled the herders, and maybe that was why the attack happened. On the other hand, the protesters felt that the efforts from the leaders were not enough.”

FIJ understands that the destruction left in the wake of the protest was meant to send a message to the traditional and political leaders to put more effort into restoring peace and sanity in the area.

Protesters Were Shot

FIJ’s source disclosed that soldiers shot three residents during Tuesday’s protest. However, there are conflicting reports about the protesters who were shot.

While some sources claim they died from gunshot wounds, others say they are receiving treatment in the hospital. FIJ’s source leaned towards the former.

“The language of the state government is not encouraging. They are killing us. These killings by herders are not just happening in Gwer West but in many other LGAs,” the source said.

“Criminals have taken over farmlands in the state, and the government keeps telling us to make peace. But how can you make peace with a visitor that is taking over your land and killing you over your land?”

When FIJ called Catherine Anene, the Benue police spokesperson, for more information on Tuesday, she asked that we send her a message.

“Information has been received about an ongoing protest in Naka and the Commissioner of Police moved this [Tuesday] morning to the area with other tactical teams. Further development will be communicated to you, please,” wrote Anene in response to FIJ’s message.

FIJ also sent a message to Nwachukwu Onyeoma, the spokesperson for the Nigerian Army, on Wednesday morning, but no response had been received at the time of publication.

READ ALSO: Benue Security Chief Denied Mass Killings. Terrorists Responded With Community Massacre 2 Days Later

Killings, Kidnapping and Attacks in Benue

On Saturday, at least 15 were killed when some suspected armed herdsmen launched an attack on several communities in Katsina Ala LGA of the state.

In February, six persons were reportedly killed by suspected herdsmen in Otukpo LGA, two were killed in a cult clash in Makurdi and four students were kidnapped, among other incidents.

The police killed three suspected kidnappers in Kwande and rescued a kidnapped person in January. Before then, Gunmen killed a farmer in Guma after collecting N5.5 million ransom from his family.

The 2024 Christmas Day attack on some communities in Nyiev-ya, Kwande Local Government, resulted in the death of at least 11 people.

While condemning the killing of the security guards, the state government said, “The security of our people is paramount. We will not relent until those behind this act of violence are brought to justice.”

Abimbola Abatta is a reporter with FIJ, writing reports in partnership with Report for the World which matches local newsrooms with talented emerging journalists to report on under-covered issues around the globe.