As Americans marked the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, families in northeastern Benue State were burying 11 people killed during an Islamic extremist attack on their community. 

Suspected armed Fulani militia attacked and invaded Ayilamo, a predominantly Christian farming community in Tombo Council Ward of Logo Local Government Area, Benue, on Thursday, Sept. 10, killing seven civilians and four police officers, according to the Benue State Police Command.

Ayilamo lies about 112 miles northeast of Makurdi, Benue’s capital, near the state’s borders with Taraba and Nasarawa states. 

The attack began at about 6:12 p.m., according to police. Police Mobile Force personnel, tactical teams, and conventional officers engaged the attackers in a gun battle that lasted about seven hours before the assailants withdrew into surrounding forests, police said. 

Community security official Umishi Terungwa said the attackers entered the area in large numbers, crossing by boat from communities in neighboring Taraba and Nasarawa states. 

“I narrowly escaped death because I hid myself on the rooftop,” Terungwa said. He said he heard the attackers speaking Fulani and chanting “Allahu Akbar” while shooting and attacking residents.  

His account could not independently establish the identities or affiliations of the attackers. 

Police said four officers were among those killed while confronting the assailants. The command subsequently deployed additional tactical personnel to the area.  

For residents of Ayilamo, the attack struck a community where farming is a major source of livelihood. Residents describe the area as overwhelmingly Christian, with many families belonging to the Catholic Church. 

The violence in Benue came as separate attacks were reported hundreds of miles southwest in Plateau state’s Middle Belt. 

Passengers Killed on Road to Jos 

On Sunday night, Sept. 13, suspected gunmen opened fire on a vehicle carrying passengers to Jos, Plateau’s capital. 

The attack occurred at about 9:40 p.m. at Dungus Junction in Kuru District, Jos South Local Government Area, according to Rwang Tengwong, spokesman for the Berom Youth Moulders. Nine passengers were reportedly killed, while others suffered gunshot wounds.   

Dungus is located along the route into Jos from communities in southern Plateau. 

Tengwong said one of those killed was a member of Operation Rainbow, a state-backed community security initiative. 

A resident named Musa Dauda said some injured passengers later died while receiving treatment, while others remained hospitalized. 

The Plateau State Police Command later confirmed that unidentified gunmen on a motorcycle opened fire on a Toyota bus carrying passengers toward Jos.   

The same weekend brought attacks in other parts of Plateau. 

In Mangu Local Government Area, suspected attackers struck Vodni in Pushit District, killing two people and injuring four others, according to local reports. The injured were taken to a hospital in Mangu town.   

In Riyom Local Government Area, two people were also reported killed at Tahoos. 

Plateau authorities said they were working with security agencies, traditional institutions and community leaders to strengthen security through intelligence sharing and community engagement.   

The recent attacks add to a pattern of violence affecting Christian farming communities and travelers across Nigeria’s Middle Belt, where Plateau and Benue states sit between Nigeria’s predominantly Muslim north and predominantly Christian south. 

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