Displaced Nasarawa Residents Raise Alarm as Armed Attackers Seize Community Territory

What started as a monstrous terrorist attack on communities in Odeni Gida Ward of Udege Development Area, Nasarawa Local Government Area of Nasarawa State has now morphed into something far more disturbing – the alleged occupation of deserted communities by the same terrorists alleged to have displaced the people.

But survivors say their pain hasn’t ended months after coordinated attacks killed more than 80 people across several communities.

Homes were torched, food stores looted, farms abandoned and properties worth hundreds of millions razed.

Beyond the bloodshed and the displacement, many residents now fear a concerted effort to reframe what happened, to bury the truth under the softer language of “communal clash.”

From the outset of the violence, many residents and community voices rejected attempts to frame the attacks as routine communal unrest. They said that there was a coordinated armed invasion by alleged heavily armed Fulani attackers who stormed into several communities simultaneously.

However, some government and security officials continued to repeatedly use the “communal clash” narrative, which many residents affected by the violence feel did not reflect the scale and nature of the killings.

For many survivors, it was not only semantics, but also what that classification could eventually mean accountability, justice, compensation, and even ownership of ancestral lands.

Another bitter pill to swallow was the report of a recent visit to the affected areas by the Special Assistant on Community Engagement to President Bola Tinubu, Dr. Abiodun Essiet.

Some of the attacked communities remain largely deserted, with displaced villagers not having fully returned home because of fear and insecurity.

“Some of the same people named as perpetrators in the attacks now openly graze cattle in those deserted communities, unchallenged,” residents say.

Many locals believe the development has fed suspicions that the attacks may have been more than simple reprisals.

“The very communities they displaced are now in the grip of the attackers.

“Which tells you this was never just a fight. “It was a conquest,” bewailed a resident.

Online videos and photographs appear to bear out the scale of the displacement, showing villagers, including women and children, running with loads balanced on their heads as they fled for safety in neighboring settlements.

The continued isolated reports of attack and intimidation, especially on the farmlands, coupled with the perception that the issue is slowly dropping from the public’s consciousness, has further added to residents’ frustration.

Some in the community say local leaders are sabotaging the justice push by participating in reconciliation meetings that critics say too quickly framed the crisis as behind them while victims still are displaced.

At one point, relief materials meant for the affected persons were reportedly distributed in a manner that some residents felt was equating the victims with the alleged attackers, a move critics say reinforced the “communal clash” narrative they had consistently opposed.

While meetings have since taken place between affected communities and Fulani leaders, residents say little has been heard about whether agreements reached during those engagements were ever implemented or respected.

At the same time reports of new attacks on farmers and insecurity in surrounding areas have gone on quietly, while public conversations about the tragedy slowly dwindled.

One of the most vocal critics of the official narrative is Yahaya Kana Ismaila, who says the attacks bear the hallmarks of organised armed violence, not communal conflict.

The affected Eloyi communities have no ethnic ties or territorial identity with the armed men alleged to have carried out the attacks, a major factor that, he argues, weakens claims that the violence was communal in nature.

He said the attackers came in large numbers and with sophisticated weapons, attacked multiple settlements at once, burned down homes and forced residents to flee.

The argument over terminology has since become central to the crisis itself. Authorities and some stakeholders continue to describe the violence as communal unrest, but many residents believe that such descriptions risk trivialising the seriousness of what happened.

Reacting, a public affairs commentator, Kana, described the Udege killings as a grim reminder of the rising insecurity in the state. He warned that the continued absence of arrests and accountability could further deepen fear and hopelessness among the residents.

As of his reaction, no suspect had been arrested despite reports of over 70 people losing their lives in the attacks, he said, adding that this raises serious concerns about justice and protection for vulnerable communities.

It was unfortunate that homes, farm produce, motorcycles and livelihoods built over several years were destroyed, he said, adding that many families affected may never fully recover from the losses inflicted on them.

He also argued that the crisis had created a situation where many rural residents now feel abandoned and helpless, more so in the wake of the recurring attacks linked to disputes over kidnapping, grazing and destruction of farmlands.

“The reality is harsh that many innocent people have been traumatised, displaced and uncertain about their future.

“Whole communities have been destroyed, and those who survive are expected to return and rebuild their lives amid fear and insecurity,” he said.

He warned that unless security agencies and government authorities take decisive action, the perception that armed groups can attack communities without consequences may embolden criminal elements across the state.

As fear grips affected communities, residents have continued to make desperate pleas for urgent intervention from the Nasarawa State and Federal Governments.

Speaking of the fresh tension in some areas of Odeni Gida Ward, Abdulwahid Angala Odeni described the situation as devastating.

My people are broken, without a home. Radical hoodlums Fulani herdsmen are invading my heritage. Odeni Gida Ward, Udege Development Area, Nasarawa Local Government Area, Nasarawa State.

“We appeal to the Government of Nasarawa State to come to our rescue.

The second resident, Suleiman Otto Wakili, also appealed to the federal government to intervene.

“Fulani herdsmen attacked Sabon Gida Angwa Ogiri in Odeni Gida Ward in Nasarawa State. He said, “Please, the Federal Government should do something about our situation.

Many displaced residents appear to be losing faith in local authorities fast.

There are growing questions over the response of Nasarawa State Government, security agencies and emergency institutions.

There has also been a specific concern raised about the lack of large scale humanitarian support, despite early promises that aid would be provided to support displaced persons and promote safe return to affected communities.

Now many victims feel that the only option left is to take their case directly to the Presidency and call for federal intervention, before more communities are lost forever to fear, displacement and silence.

While displaced families wander between uncertainty and survival, one painful question echoes through Odeni Gida:

So if the people can’t go back home safely, then who actually owns the land now?