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A security officer in Benue State has strongly refuted circulating reports that Tiv residents were behind the killing of a Fulani man in Guma Local Government Area, describing the allegations as deliberate “fake news” designed to inflame ethnic tensions.
In a detailed Facebook post on Monday, Mr. Akir Abel dismissed claims spread by a page identified as Nigerian Military Gallery, which suggested Tiv communities were responsible for the death of Mr. Saduna Lasar, a Fulani cattle owner and businessman, on January 17, 2026.
According to Abel, Lasar had traveled to Magungungu Fadama to purchase cattle but left after failing to reach an agreement on the price. While en route to Gbajimba, the same group of herdsmen he had encountered earlier reportedly intercepted him near Abaushaw, a Tiv settlement. During a struggle over his belongings, Lasar was shot in the head and killed instantly.
Abel identified the suspects—Haruna Jando, Musa Haruna, and Abdullahi Mais eje—as Fulani bandits currently on the run. He linked them to a series of recent attacks in the area, including the killing of two Tiv farmers in Iordye village and a woman in Gbajimba on January 18.
The officer further revealed that the same gang later blocked the Akhor-Tomanin road and killed two Fulani herdsmen in what he described as an attempt to frame Tiv residents and escalate communal conflict.
Abel urged the public to verify information before sharing it online and called on Fulani elders and community leaders in Guma to expose criminals hiding behind ethnic identities to perpetrate violence. He emphasized that such actions only deepen mistrust and undermine efforts to maintain peace in the region.
Security authorities have yet to issue an official statement on the incident. Meanwhile, residents in the affected areas are calling for swift action to apprehend the perpetrators and halt the spread of misinformation that continues to threaten the state’s fragile security situation.
The episode highlights the persistent challenge of criminal elements exploiting communal fault lines in Benue, where farmer-herder tensions and banditry have claimed numerous lives in recent years.
