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Akpanta killings
2023–2025 attacks in Benue State, Nigeria From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Akpanta killings (also called the Akpata massacre) refers to a violent armed attack on the rural community of Akpanta in Apa, Benue State, Nigeria. The assault, part of a series of attacks on Akpata (themselves part of a wider wave of violence in the Middle Belt), left numerous villagers dead, destroyed homes and churches, and forced much of the population to flee.
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Background
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Benue State has been a major center of Nigeria's long-running herder-farmer conflict. The conflicts are driven by disputes over farmland, water sources and grazing routes. They have also been compounded by population growth, desertification in the far north, and migration of armed pastoralists southward. A study published in 2025 found insecurity in Benue significantly reduced agricultural and livestock output, reflecting the displacement of farmers and the abandonment of arable land.[1] Akpanta, a farming settlement near the banks of river Ochekwu, experienced sporadic attacks beginning in early 2023.[citation needed]
Akpanta is a rural settlement situated about 14 kilometres southeast of Ugbokpo. It lies along the old Otukpo–Agatu route, close to the River Ochekwu. The terrain is primarily low-lying savannah interspersed with yam fields and cassava plantations. Before the 2023-2025 attacks, Akpanta's population was estimated at around 2,000 people, most belonging to the Idoma ethnic group, with minority Igbo-speaking traders and Tiv farmworkers.[2] [3] The predominant occupation of residents was subsistence agriculture and small-scale trading in yams, rice, and palm oil.
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Timeline of attacks
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Attack
Armed men identified by residents as "suspected herders" stormed Akpanta between 1 and 3 March 2025. The attackers arrived at dawn, shooting sporadically and setting houses, churches, and food stores ablaze. The Vanguard reported that "the entire Akpata and adjoining communities were razed", noting the burning of the community's Methodist, Anglican and Catholic churches.[9] Daily Trust and Independent Nigeria both described Akpanta as "completely deserted" following the assault.[10][11] Community sources[which?] reported that attackers burned nearly every house in the village, including three churches and the central market. Survivors took refuge in nearby Ugbokpo and Ijaha settlements, while many others fled into the bush.[citation needed]
Akpanta, Benue State, Nigeria
Impact
Eyewitness photographs and humanitarian assessments show extensive structural damage in Akpanta.[citation needed] Satellite-based imagery reviewed by civil-society monitors in June 2025 indicated that more than 90 percent of visible rooftops had been destroyed or scorched. The local parish church and two primary schools were among the buildings burned. According to community leaders cited by Daily Post, "nothing remains of Akpanta; it has been turned into ashes".[12]
Local development associations estimated that more than 6,000 people were displaced from Akpanta and neighbouring villages and hamlets.[13]
The destruction of Akpanta deepened humanitarian needs in the region. Church leaders from the Catholic Diocese of Otukpo and the Christian Association of Nigeria jointly condemned the razing of worship centres in Akpanta, describing it as "an assault on human dignity and communal faith."[14]
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Response
Benue State officials condemned the killings and requested reinforcement of security forces in Apa LGA.[15] Humanitarian organisations and church missions distributed emergency relief to displaced residents, including those sheltering at Ugbokpo. Security agencies later announced the arrest of several suspects linked to wider Benue and Plateau attacks in mid-2025.[16]
See also
References
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