Residents of the Agwan Jukun area of Makurdi, Benue State, fled their homes and shut their businesses after a violent clash between suspected rival cult groups left at least three people dead and several others injured, according to local reports and eyewitness accounts. The attack reportedly occurred around 8 p.m. on Sunday, with assailants said to have moved in a coordinated manner and targeted specific individuals along Market Street and Wukari Street.
Witnesses said the pattern of the assault suggested it was not random, but an organised reprisal operation carried out with local intelligence. One resident told reporters the attackers appeared to know exactly who they were after, while the aftermath left the market area near a small mosque tense and largely deserted. Many shop owners reportedly closed early, and several families abandoned their homes out of fear of further violence.
Concerns have since grown over possible retaliation. Residents said some youths were seen moving around with weapons on Monday morning, raising fears that the violence could escalate. Attempts to reach the chairman of Makurdi Local Government were unsuccessful, while Benue Police spokesperson DSP Udeme Edet was quoted as saying she had yet to receive full details of the incident.
The latest killings add to a troubling pattern of cult-related violence in parts of Makurdi and wider Benue State, where similar clashes earlier this year also claimed lives and heightened public anxiety over security.
