A farmer identified as Gabriel Vandefan was brutally murdered on Thursday by armed assailants while working on his millet farm in Uikpam village, Guma Local Government Area of Benue State.
The incident has sent shockwaves through the community, which residents say has been under increasing threats from gunmen in recent weeks.
Fear of attacks has reportedly driven many villagers away from their farms, but Vandefan, facing hunger, chose to return to his land — a decision that cost him his life.
Eyewitness accounts revealed that the attackers not only beheaded Vandefan but also severed one of his hands and took both the head and hand away.
His body was later recovered and brought back to the village for burial arrangements.
“It’s worrisome that despite the presence of security personnel in the community, which also hosts internally displaced persons, these attackers still carry out their evil acts without fear,” a resident, who asked not to be named, told the press.
A former government official from the area also confirmed the incident and called for a stronger security presence to help stem the ongoing violence in the region.
When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer for the Benue State Command, DSP Udeme Edet, said she had not yet received an official report on the incident.
