Barely a week after the governors of Taraba and Benue states met to address the growing insecurity in border communities, suspected armed herders have ambushed farmers in Donga Local Government Area of Taraba State, killing two persons and injuring several others.
The attack, DAILY POST learnt, occurred on Monday at Tse-Ukwe community in Donga, a local government area located between Takum and Wukari—two areas that recently hosted the governors during an on-the-spot assessment of internally displaced persons (IDPs) camps.
Sources in the area said the victims were displaced farmers who had earlier fled their homes due to persistent attacks and were currently taking refuge at the Tor-Damsa IDP camp in the local government area.
Taraba State Governor, Dr Agbu Kefas, and his Benue State counterpart, Hyacinth Alia, had on March 2, 2026, convened a stakeholders’ meeting in Wukari with traditional rulers, government officials and community leaders to deliberate on the security challenges along the Benue–Taraba border.
At the meeting, both governors pledged to strengthen collaboration between the two states through intelligence sharing and coordinated support for security agencies to track down those responsible for the persistent violence.
However, the latest attack has heightened fears among residents who say insecurity continues to threaten lives and livelihoods in the area.
The Ter-Donga, traditional ruler of the Tiv people in Donga Local Government Area, Zaki Ugondu Uma, confirmed the incident, saying the victims were attacked by armed men suspected to be herders while returning from their farms.
According to him, the farmers had gone to their farmlands to retrieve food items but were ambushed on their way back to the IDP camp.
“The two people that were killed on March 9, 2026, are IDPs who had earlier been displaced by the same attackers. They are currently taking refuge at Tor-Damsa. They went to their farms to collect foodstuff and while returning, the attackers ambushed them at Tse-Ukwe,”
he explained.
He identified the victims as 32-year-old Boniface Aondowase and 35-year-old Aondoakuea Adi, both from Tse-Kur village in Donga Local Government Area.
He added that several other farmers escaped from the attack with varying degrees of injuries, noting that those who fled the scene claimed they recognised the attackers.
“Those who escaped saw the attackers clearly and said they were Fulani,” he alleged.
The traditional ruler further disclosed that soldiers later arrived at the scene and recovered the bodies of the victims, which were handed over to the community for burial.
According to him, the victims were buried later that same evening.
Uma appealed to the government and security agencies to urgently intervene, warning that displaced persons currently taking refuge at Tor-Damsa are living in fear following reports of possible fresh attacks.
“We are hearing rumours that the attackers are planning to come and strike here in Tor-Damsa very soon.
“Our people have already been chased away from their communities and are now taking refuge here, yet they are still being killed. Where do we run to again to save our lives?” he lamented.
Efforts to obtain an official response from the police were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report.
Suspected herders ambush farmers in Taraba, kill two IDPs