The leadership of Agatu Local Government Area in Benue State has declared the annulment of a controversial 2017 grazing agreement and ordered the immediate exit of all armed herders from the council territory, citing escalating violence and what it described as a breach of good faith by beneficiaries of the decade-old pact.
Melvin Ejeh, Chairman of Agatu LGA, announced the decision in a press statement issued in Makurdi, the state capital, pointing to renewed attacks on farming communities across the council area as justification for the unilateral revocation of the agreement that granted herders access to Adepati Island for grazing purposes.
The announcement comes amid a fresh wave of violence that has left several residents dead, others injured, homes razed, farmlands destroyed, and hundreds displaced across communities in one of Benue’s most volatile local government areas.
According to Ejeh, the latest attacks were allegedly carried out by armed herders who fled into Agatu following recent military airstrikes conducted in the Sokoko axis of neighbouring locations. He said the fleeing elements unleashed what he termed “unprecedented terror” on defenceless residents, leaving a trail of death and destruction in their wake.
“As Chairman of Agatu Local Government Council, I unequivocally condemn these barbaric acts and decry the continued bloodshed in Agatu land. Our people are being hunted on their ancestral land without provocation, and this cannot be allowed to continue,” Ejeh stated.
The council chairman disclosed that the attacks had resulted in multiple fatalities, widespread injuries, reported cases of rape, and the destruction of residential buildings and farmlands. He described the situation as “a grave security and humanitarian crisis” requiring urgent intervention to prevent further loss of lives and property.
The 2017 Agreement and Its Troubled Legacy
The agreement now revoked was signed in 2017 by the then administration of Agatu Local Government, ostensibly to promote peaceful coexistence between herders and farmers by designating Adepati Island as a grazing reserve. The pact was reached in the aftermath of deadly clashes that had devastated the area in preceding years.
However, Ejeh argued that the agreement was entered into under flawed premises and had never been implemented in good faith. “That agreement was done under the guise of promoting peaceful coexistence, but at the expense of the Agatu people. The negative consequences of that action have been enormous. Consequently, I hereby declare the agreement null and void and of no effect whatsoever,” he said.
The chairman further announced that all armed herders were being ordered to vacate Agatu land with immediate effect, adding that no portion of Agatu territory belonged to herders under any guise. “Agatu is an agrarian society, and our farmlands must be protected to guarantee food security and the livelihoods of our people,” Ejeh added.
He emphasized that the position of the Agatu people was now unequivocal. “At this time, no herder is welcome on Agatu land,” he declared, noting that any future engagement would only occur after broad consultations with traditional rulers and stakeholders and through lawful channels.
A Decades-Long Struggle for Security and Survival
Agatu has long been a flashpoint in the wider farmer-herder crisis that has plagued Nigeria’s Middle Belt for decades. The local government area, located along the Benue River and sharing boundaries with Nasarawa and Kogi states, has experienced repeated cycles of violence, displacement, and loss of life, often attributed to clashes over land, grazing routes, and resources.
The most devastating of these occurred in 2016, when coordinated attacks on several Agatu communities left hundreds dead and tens of thousands displaced. The attacks, widely reported as being carried out by armed herders, drew national and international condemnation and prompted calls for stronger federal intervention. In the years since, the area has remained fragile, with intermittent violence and lingering tensions over land use and security.
The 2017 agreement was part of efforts by state and local authorities to find lasting solutions to the crisis. However, critics have long argued that such agreements often favour herders at the expense of indigenous farming communities, who lose access to ancestral lands and face continued threats to their safety and livelihoods.
The current wave of violence, according to Ejeh, appears to be linked to military operations in nearby areas, which have displaced armed groups and pushed them into Agatu territory. This dynamic, he said, had brought a new dimension to the insecurity in the area, with fleeing attackers targeting communities indiscriminately.
Call for Federal Intervention and Security Reinforcement
In his statement, Ejeh called on the Federal Government and relevant security agencies to urgently reinforce military and police presence in Agatu, noting that the existing security arrangement was grossly inadequate to contain the escalating attacks.
He commended Benue State Governor, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia, for his commitment to restoring peace in the area and urged him not to be distracted by what he described as the activities of retrogressive elements. The council chairman also praised Operation Whirl Stroke, the Nigeria Police Force, the Department of State Services, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, and other security agencies for their ongoing kinetic operations aimed at flushing out criminal elements from the area.
Ejeh revealed that some suspects had already been arrested in connection with the attacks and assured that investigations were ongoing. He warned that anyone found aiding or abetting insecurity in Agatu would face the full weight of the law.
The chairman urged residents to remain calm, vigilant, and law-abiding, warning against self-help as security agencies intensified efforts to restore peace. “Agatu deserves peace. Our people deserve to live, farm and thrive without fear,” he emphasized.
