Senate orders crackdown on bandits flaunting crime cash on TikTok

Makurdi, Benue State – By Prime Brief Media

Troops of Sector 1, Operation Whirl Stroke (OPWS), have arrested a herder for allegedly grazing his cattle on cultivated farmland in Makurdi Local Government Area, destroying crops and heightening tensions in an area already scarred by recurrent farmer-herder violence.

The arrest occurred around 12:00 p.m. on 3 May, 2026, after troops stationed at Anule responded to a distress report from residents. According to Zagazola Makama, a counter-insurgency and security expert in the Lake Chad region who closely tracks military operations, the herder was found grazing his livestock on farmland, causing extensive damage to crops that were yet to be harvested. The suspect was subsequently handed over to the Nigeria Police for further investigation and necessary action.

The incident underscores the fragility of the security situation in Benue State, where competition over land and water resources has repeatedly escalated into deadly clashes between farming communities and nomadic herders. Despite the existence of the Benue State Open Grazing Prohibition and Ranches Establishment Law, enforcement has been uneven, and violations continue to erode trust in the ability of authorities to protect agricultural livelihoods.

Operation Whirl Stroke, a joint military task force set up to tackle armed violence across Benue, Nasarawa, and Taraba states, has intensified patrols in recent weeks following a spate of deadly attacks in rural communities. Military spokesman Major General Michael Onoja said the task force remained committed to “swift intervention based on credible intelligence and community reports” to forestall wider breakdowns of law and order.

Local residents have welcomed the arrest but remain deeply concerned. A community leader in Makurdi, who asked not to be named because he was not authorized to speak on security matters, told Prime Brief Media that farmland encroachment remains a daily threat. “We report these incidents, and sometimes there is a response. But our fear is that the destruction continues, and many farmers have been displaced. The law must be fully enforced,” he said.

The Nigeria Police in Benue are yet to issue a statement on the case. However, security sources indicate the suspect may face charges under both the penal code and the state’s open grazing law, depending on the outcome of police and legal review.

Prime Brief Media will continue to track security and rescue efforts across the state as this story develops.

#Benue #Makurdi #FarmerHerderCrisis #OperationWhirlStroke #Security #PrimeBriefMedia