The ongoing communal crisis between the Bonta community in Konshisha Local Government and the Ukpute community in Oju Local Government Area of Benue State has escalated, as armed militias from Bonta reportedly blocked a major road linking Oju to the state capital, Makurdi.
This development has effectively cut off the Igede tribe from other parts of the state.
The dispute between the two neighboring communities, rooted in a land conflict, has claimed numerous lives and properties over the years, including the tragic killing of 12 military personnel on Easter Monday in 2021.
On Monday, it was reported that armed militias from Bonta village took control of the road, halting the movement of people and goods between Igede land and the rest of the state. The Igede tribe, the third largest in Benue State, occupies Oju and Obi Local Government Areas and has been severely affected by the blockade.
Dr. John Ogi, a senior lecturer at Benue State University, said on Tuesday that the presence of the militias has “disconnected Igede from other parts of the state,” making travel and commerce nearly impossible. “The movement of goods and services from Igede land to other parts of the state is currently impossible,” Ogi stressed.
He explained that the only alternative route, via the Otukpo road, is in a state of disrepair, turning what would have been a two-hour journey from Oju to Makurdi into a seven-hour ordeal. Ogi also alleged that “two trailers of fertilizers distributed by the federal government to Oju/Obi Federal Constituency were seized by the militias in July 2024.”
Governor Hyacinth Alia recently claimed that relative peace had returned to the warring communities, insisting that the government was actively working to resolve the dispute. However, the road blockade suggests that tensions remain high.
Efforts to reach the Benue State Police Command for a comment were unsuccessful, as the Police Public Relations Officer, Catherine Sewuese, did not respond to inquiries at the time of this report.
The crisis continues to disrupt the lives of the Igede people and further complicate efforts at reconciliation between the two communities.
