Communities Deserted as Armed Raiders Displace Farmers Amid Mining Encroachment in Benue

Communities Deserted as Armed Raiders Displace Farmers Amid Mining Encroachment in Benue

A chilling silence now hangs over villages along the Anyiin–Ayilamo corridor in Benue State, where once-thriving farming settlements have been abandoned after repeated attacks by suspected armed herdsmen forced residents to flee their homes and farmlands. Over the past few months, families in several communities within Logo Local Government Area have been driven from ancestral lands by escalating violence, leaving rows of empty houses and overgrown fields behind.
As villagers fled in fear, some criminal groups have taken advantage of the vacuum, conducting mining activities on lands left untended. Residents report that artisanal mining operations continue unabated in deserted communities, even as their attackers target farmers and allow miners to operate without interference. This situation has fueled suspicions among locals that those involved in mining may have protection or collusion with the armed groups.
Villagers from areas such as Tsukwa, Akwana, and Tombo Council Ward describe how fertile lands that once produced yams, cassava, maize, and other essential crops now lie fallow because families fear returning to plant for fear of violence. With their farms lost, many have also lost their primary source of livelihood, deepening food insecurity and economic hardship across the region.
Community leaders voiced concern that mineral resources, including lithium, iron ore, and gemstones, should be a blessing but have instead become linked to suffering, as locals watch from afar while outsiders extract value from lands they can no longer safely inhabit. The forced relocation has underscored broader fears about insecurity in rural areas and the need for urgent action to protect lives, property, and livelihoods in Benue’s agricultural heartland.