By Peter Duru, Makurdi
A slow drive along the road from Anyiin to Ayilamo in Logo Local Government Area LGA, of Benue State tells a chilling story without words. On both sides of the road are rows of abandoned houses, compounds overtaken by weeds. The once vibrant farming communities that dotted this axis have become quiet. The villages were not emptied by migration or economic hardship. They were emptied by fear.
Over the past months, repeated attacks by suspected armed herdsmen have forced residents of several communities along the Anyiin-Ayilamo axis to abandon their homes and farmlands, leaving entire settlements deserted. Yet, in a pattern that has deepened the anger and confusion of displaced residents, mining activities are mindlessly being carried out with daring brutality by criminal elements, who invade and occupy these places as their original owners are being forced to flee into unknown locations for fear of being wiped out by the intruders.
For many locals, the situation raises troubling questions about the true forces driving the violence.
Frightened natives of these areas say the scale of displacement becomes obvious to anyone travelling through the area. The evidence is clear and not far-fetched. For instance, communities stretching from Tsukwa to Akwana and up to areas approaching Ayilamo town in Tombo Council Ward have been largely sacked and abandoned by the invading army.
A resident who spoke on condition of anonymity described the shocking transformation of the once busy settlements saying: “If you are going to Ayilamo from Anyiin, it will shock you that the houses from Tsukwa down to Akwana and even the areas shortly before Ayilamo town are completely deserted because of attacks by armed Fulani herdsmen”.
He added: “Today, those farms lie untended. Our people cannot go back to their ancestral homes to farm because they fear they may be killed by these armed herdsmen”.
He noted that the communities were known for their rich agricultural activities. “Farmers cultivated large fields of yam, cassava, maize and other crops that sustained families and contributed to the local economy.
For many displaced families, the loss of their farms means the loss of their only means of survival.
While villagers remain unable to return to their land, residents say mining operations are taking place in many of the deserted areas. And the development has become a major source of concern and frequent conflicts.
According to the local, despite the repeated assaults on villagers, there have been no reports of armed herdsmen attacking mining operators in the affected areas. “Mining activities are going on freely in these deserted places and the miners are not being attacked. The situation has sparked suspicion among residents who question why the attackers target local farmers while leaving mining sites untouched.
“There has never been any report of armed herdsmen attacking miners in those areas. Yet our people cannot safely return home to farm,” he lamented.
Media practitioner, Joseph Apegh, who hails from Logo LGA, lamented the ordeal of his people, saying the natural resources found in the area have become source of pain for the people.
According to him, artisanal mining is actively taking place in communities such as Mbagber, Tombo, Ukemberagya/Tswarev and Ayilamo.
Apegh said: “In Tombo Ward with headquarters in Ayilamo, armed herdsmen have chased our people out of their land while mining activities are going on there.”
He pointed out that the situation suggests that the attackers may be protecting the mining operations. “Communities are attacked and sacked while miners are protected and not attacked by the herders,” he said.
According to him, minerals such as lithium, fluorite, iron ore, gemstones and limestone are being mined daily. Apegh described the situation as deeply painful for displaced residents.
“We are saddened that what should have been God’s gift to the people has become a weapon against them. People have been chased from their homes and families devastated because of the quest of a few to get rich from the mineral deposits in their land,” he lamented.
The concerns raised in Logo LGA are echoed in neighbouring Kwande LGA, particularly in the Turan axis, where mining activities are also ongoing in areas affected by attacks.
Lawrence Akerigba, a former adviser to the Chairman of Kwande LGA, said several communities hosting mining sites have been deserted by their indigenous residents due to attacks by armed herdsmen.
According to him, mining is currently taking place in multiple locations despite the security crisis. “We have a mining site at Mbakyol Council Ward in Menakwgh community,” Akerigba said.
“Right there, we have Chinese people doing the mining, and we still wonder why armed herdsmen are attacking the owners of the land and chasing them away while allowing the miners to continue their businesses without attacking them.”
He said the situation appears strange and deeply troubling to residents saying “they are doing their normal business as if nothing is happening.”
Akerigba also identified another mining site at Inungugh in Yaav Council Ward, where villagers have reportedly fled due to attacks. “But the Chinese people are there, staying comfortably. Once the herders sight any indigene, they shoot him or her,” he said.
The pattern of attack against the locals alongside the uninterrupted mining activities has led to suspicion among some community members.
Akerigba said many residents believe there could be a form of collaboration between the attackers and those involved in mining.
“We strongly suspect connivance between the Chinese and the armed herdsmen,” he alleged.
“Because if there is no connivance, why are the owners of the land not wanted in their communities while strangers who are not even Nigerians are there unchallenged?”
He also pointed to another mining site in Waya community in Yaav Council Ward, where miners reportedly operate despite the displacement of residents.
“In all these places the owners of the land have vacated them but the foreigners are there going on with their mining activities unchallenged,” he said.
According to him, the minerals being extracted include gold, aluminium, lithium, iron ore and titanium-iron oxide.
He described the situation in the area as heartbreaking. “It is a pathetic situation,” he said quietly, adding that the attack has forced residents of several communities to abandon their homes entirely.
“In Turan we have five wards, which are Mbadura, Kumakwagh, Moon, Yaav and Mbakyul which is the biggest in the state if not the country. That is where you have Abande and Anwase communities that were attacked recently. And that is the home town of the legendary Wantaregh Paul Unongo of blessed memory.
“At the moment, we have all vacated four of the wards and moved to one which is Yaav. Even at that they want to send us out because the last attack that took place days back happened right here in the town of Jato Aka that claimed 13 lives and left many injured. On that same day in my village, Boagungu Mbaav in Mbadura Council Ward 10 people were killed.
“The victims sneaked to their village to get food and they were attacked and killed by the marauders. My elder brother was killed in that attack. It is a pathetic situation. According to him, several victims of the attacks are currently receiving treatment at the Federal Medical Centre, Makurdi.
“Our plea is that the Federal Government should take a close look at what is happening if there is a link between the armed herdsmen and those mining in our communities because we suspect there is collaboration.The invaders have sent us out of our ancestral homes. So, the government should know that we have no business with the terror herdsmen.
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