The killing fields of Benue State have soaked up fresh blood as terrorists launch a second deadly wave of attacks in less than 48 hours, leaving communities shattered and security forces overwhelmed.

The silence of the Anwase market in Kwande Local Government Area was shattered by the familiar, terrifying rattle of AK-47 fire this week. In a ruthless assault that underscores the total collapse of security in Nigeria’s North Central region, suspected terrorists descended on the trading hub, executing 13 innocent civilians in cold blood. This was not a clash; it was a massacre. The attackers, operating with impunity, moved through the market with a chilling efficiency, leaving behind a trail of bodies and burning stalls.

This atrocity comes just days after a similar raid on the neighboring Abande community, where five people, including a mobile police officer, were gunned down. The proximity and timing of the attacks reveal a coordinated campaign of terror designed to displace indigenous populations and assert dominance over the fertile valley. Benue, once the "Food Basket of the Nation," is fast becoming its graveyard.

A State Under Siege

The details emerging from Kwande are harrowing. Eyewitnesses describe a synchronized invasion where the gunmen blocked escape routes before opening fire. The victims were traders, farmers, and women—soft targets chosen to maximize fear.

• The Security Vacuum: The killing of a police officer in the earlier Abande attack seems to have emboldened the terrorists rather than deterred them. It signaled that the state’s monopoly on violence has been broken. The response from security agencies has been reactive, arriving only to count the dead.
• The Displacement Crisis: Beyond the body count, the attacks have triggered a massive exodus. terrified families are fleeing their ancestral homes, swelling the already overcrowded Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps. The terrorists are effectively depopulating the region, acre by bloody acre.
• The Official Silence: Local leaders are crying out against the perceived indifference of the federal government. While condemnation statements are issued from Abuja, the boots on the ground remain insufficient to stop the carnage.

The Unending War

This is not a localized conflict; it is a symptom of a national security architecture that has failed its most vulnerable citizens. The people of Benue are trapped in a cycle of violence that recycles every planting season. The terrorists, often disguised as herders, have weaponized the geography, striking remote communities where help is hours away.

As the mass burials begin in Anwase, the mood is one of hopeless rage. The promise of "Renewed Hope" rings hollow in villages where the only harvest is grief. The residents of Kwande are asking a question that demands an answer: How many more must die before the state decides that their lives matter?

“We are being killed like chickens while the world watches,” a community elder lamented. In Benue, the sun rises on fear and sets on death, and there is no end in sight.