Gunmen suspected to be Fulani herdsmen are currently invading some communities in the Ukum Local Government Area of Benue State.

According to sources, the herdsmen armed with AK-47 rifles stormed the community around 04:15pm on Thursday.

“Our lives are in danger this evening, armed Fulani herdsmen, about 600 in numbers have taken over our communities this evening,” a resident told SaharaReporters.

“They’re currently moving around towns in Ukum Local Government Area of Benue state. No security personnel at all, Governor Alia didn’t send security, they said operation will start soon once they (herders) have observed the place.”

The insecurity situation in Benue has been alarming in recent weeks with attacks from gunmen suspected to be herdsmen.

The media had reported that suspected herdsmen again unleashed terror in Benue State, attacking three communities in Otukpo Local Government Area (LGA) on Wednesday, just a day after 11 people were killed in a deadly raid on Otobi community.

The latest victims of the escalating violence were Emichi, Odudaje, and Okpamaju, communities that had previously suffered an attack in February, which left five people dead.

However, the renewed attack has created fear and mass displacement among residents, with women and children fleeing to safety.

Local sources say the death toll from the fresh attack remains unclear, but several casualties are feared.

A group known as “Friends of Seyi Tinubu (FOST) has reacted to the alleged abduction and brutalization of Abubakar Atiku Isah in Abuja on Tuesday by Seyi Tinubu.

The group said never at any point has Seyi Tinubu ordered thugs to abduct and brutalise one Comrade Atiku Abubakar Isah, who claims to be President of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS).

The group described allegations against Seyi Tinubu as reckless, saying it’s an attempt to tarnish the good reputation of the President’s son.

A statement by the President of the group, Com. Adejorin Tai Manuel, condemned the publication dated April 16, 2025, alleging Seyi Tinubu was behind the attack on Atiku.

The statement reads:

“Mr. Seyi Tinubu is a young, focused, and accomplished individual who has no time, business, or interest in the politics of NANS, let alone stooping so low as to orchestrate violence against someone who is clearly unknown to him.

“The claim that Seyi Tinubu even recognises or acknowledges Comrade Atiku as a threat or enemy is laughable and clearly fabricated. Seyi Tinubu is not a member of NANS, not a patron, nor is he involved in any student political process. He remains committed to his personal and national development engagements, which are far beyond the narrow scope of campus politics.

“It is important to clarify that Comrade Atiku Abubakar Isah does not represent Nigerian students. His claims of being elected at the so-called “125th NANS Convention” are factually incorrect and devoid of logic. NANS, which was founded in 1980, has not held up to 125 conventions in its history. Atiku did not attend the last constitutionally recognized NANS convention, nor did he participate in any legitimate electoral process.

“There is no record of any election conducted that produced him. He has no known executive council, no vice president, no secretary-general, no financial secretary, or any EXCO member to support his claims. He merely woke up, declared himself president, and began parading the title across media platforms without mandate or legitimacy.
“One wonders who Atiku represents, where his mandate originated from, and how the medium failed to ask the most basic questions about his legitimacy before giving him a platform to spread lies.

“The so-called “election” that produced him remains invisible, with no evidence of senator participation or institutional backing. He has been rejected by the mainstream NANS community, and the public deserves to know that the association operates with structure and order not propaganda.

“Dragging the name of Seyi Tinubu into this charade is a calculated smear campaign designed to attract public sympathy and give credibility to a failed quest for recognition.
“But Nigerians are wiser than that. Seyi Tinubu has no business with impostors. His focus remains on uplifting youth, driving entrepreneurship, and contributing meaningfully to the nation’s development—not getting entangled in student leadership dramas. It is therefore absurd and insulting that a man of his pedigree would be linked to such crude behavior.”