Victims of the herdsmen attack on Efeyi-Utikpi Ugboju in Otukpo Local Government Area of Benue State have been laid to rest in a mass burial attended by grieving families and community members. Photos from the ceremony showed rows of white coffins lined up as mourners gathered under canopies, some holding portraits of the deceased.
According to accounts circulating online, the victims had woken up that morning with ordinary plans for the day when the sound of gunshots suddenly shattered the peace. Residents reportedly ran for their lives, with some seeking refuge indoors, while armed herders invaded homes. Families are now mourning, children are crying, and homes once filled with laughter have been turned into places of grief.
Tributes described the deceased as fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, sons and daughters who had names, dreams and people waiting for them to return home. Community voices expressed deep sorrow over the continued violence affecting Ugboju, Otukpo and the wider Idoma land, questioning how many more lives must be lost before the pain is taken seriously.
Prayers were offered for the souls of the departed to rest in peace, alongside hopes that residents may one day go about their daily lives without living in fear.
