Federal lawmaker Solomon Wombo says the coordinated attack on Ukum's Mbazun communities also hit Tiv villages across the border in Taraba State, as Governor Alia vows Benue's land will not be surrendered.
Ukum, Benue State — August 20, 2026
The scale of Sunday's attack on communities in Ukum Local Government Area of Benue State has come into sharper focus, with federal lawmaker Solomon Wombo disclosing that 22 bodies have so far been recovered, a toll well above the three deaths and four injuries initially confirmed by the Benue State Police Command.
Wombo, who represents the Katsina-Ala/Ukum/Logo Federal Constituency, described the attack as appearing coordinated and premeditated, telling reporters that suspected armed Fulani bandits struck Tiv communities in Mbazun Council Ward at around 1:30 a.m. on Sunday, and that the assault extended across the state border to hit Tiv communities in neighbouring Taraba State as well.
The affected communities include Ayaba, Ukpen, Bom, Aboajio, and Yina.
Wombo urged security and intelligence agencies to identify and arrest not only the direct perpetrators but also any sponsors behind the attack, while appealing to residents to avoid retaliatory violence.
He stressed that beyond making arrests, authorities must take immediate and sustained steps to secure vulnerable communities and strengthen the security presence in the area to prevent further attacks, a pointed remark from a lawmaker who has previously noted that the military has maintained a presence in his constituency for over a decade without fully stemming the violence.
Local government chairman Jonathan Modi, who visited the affected communities on the day of the attack, condemned it as barbaric, senseless, and unacceptable, and said the council had deployed security personnel to vulnerable areas while visiting hospitals treating injured survivors.
Governor Hyacinth Alia condemned the attack and commended security agencies for their intervention, describing the assailants in a statement as terrorists "masquerading as herdsmen" who had invaded the Mbaterem communities.
He extended condolences to bereaved families and sympathy to the injured, while issuing a pointed warning against efforts to frustrate Benue's peace process: "Benue lands for Benue people. Anyone who thinks attacking us will intimidate us to leave the land is making a mistake."
The Ukum attack adds to an extraordinarily difficult stretch for Benue State, following closely on the heels of Peter Obi's visit to attack-ravaged communities in Otukpo, a mass kidnapping along the Ankpechi–Omutele axis in Ohimini LGA, and an intensifying political standoff over the Federal Government's proposed ranching pilot, a policy debate now unfolding against the backdrop of exactly the kind of violence its critics warn any concession on land could invite.
As search and verification efforts continue in Ukum's affected communities, the gap between official and reported casualty figures underscores the recurring difficulty of establishing an accurate toll in Benue's more remote, hard-to-reach rural areas.
More on Benue