The horrifying impact of the recent attacks in Benue State continues to emerge, as survivors recount harrowing personal losses.
Joseph Edor, a relative of one of the victims, speaking on Inside Sources with Laolu Akande on Channels Television, revealed that his uncle, Mr. Eboyin Idogbo, aged 70, was brutally murdered in the presence of his wife and children.
“They are retired teachers. Eboyin Idogbo survived up to nine children and not less than five of them are in the universities across the country. Now, we don’t know how to take care of them now that they’ve just killed him,” he said.
Edor noted that another relative, Mr. Emmanuel Idogbo, aged 68, was also killed during the attack. Both men were retired teachers who had dedicated their lives to serving their communities.
“It’s devastating beyond words,” Edor said. “These were peaceful men, family men, who should have been allowed to live out their retirement in peace.”
The lingering violence in Benue State has devastated entire communities, leaving towns and villages virtually deserted. Speaking on Sunday during an appearance on Inside Sources with Laolu Akande on Channels Television, Hon. Kennedy Angbo, a member of the Benue State House of Assembly, shared his personal anguish over the crisis.
“It’s not a scene you wish to experience,” Angbo lamented. “The communities are ghosts of themselves. If you go there right now, you’ll not be able to count up to 100 people where you previously had thousands.”
Hon. Angbo, who had been scheduled to travel to Lagos for engagements, canceled his trip upon hearing the news of the latest attacks. Having just appeared on TV programs including TVC and Channels TV’s The Morning Show, he rushed back to his village, only to be confronted by a chilling, desolate scene.
Describing the emotional trauma inflicted on the younger generation, Angbo said, “Imagine your children, who on their first visit to your village, run into this? So, it’s a trauma they will experience for the rest of their lives.”
The lawmaker’s testimony underscores the devastating scale of the attacks, which have turned once-thriving communities into empty shells of what they once were. Families who managed to flee now live in displacement, scattered across the state and beyond, many too afraid to ever return home.
Residents and leaders alike continue to decry the apparent lack of sufficient security measures and government intervention. For communities whose lives revolved around farming, trade, and strong cultural traditions, the loss of lives, livelihoods, and heritage has left scars that will take decades — if not generations — to heal.
Calls are growing louder for the federal government to intervene more decisively to restore peace and protect what remains of these once-vibrant communities.
