Nigeria’s Department of State Services (DSS) had reportedly alerted the military weeks in advance of the deadly June 13 attacks in Benue and Nasarawa states that left over 200 people dead, including farmers and internally displaced persons.
According to a leaked DSS memo dated May 13, intelligence was shared with Moses Gara, commander of Operation Whirl Stroke (OPWS), detailing plans by suspected Fulani militias to carry out coordinated assaults on Tiv communities across Benue State.
Among the communities listed in the warning was Yelewata in Guma Local Government Area—one of the villages later attacked.
The memo stated:
“Reports indicate that they [militias] have been holding a series of meetings in Akpanaja, Rukuhi, and Andori settlements in Doma LGA and have stationed their men in nearby forests for a coordinated offensive against Tiv communities.”
The DSS further identified hideouts in Amako and Igbabo forests between Mkoma and Doka villages in Doma LGA, as well as Ikom forest, located close to Yelwata-Udei-Ukohol and Kadarko Railway in Keana LGA. Planned targets included Agatu, Gwer East and West, parts of Makurdi, Guma, and Loko communities.
The memo noted that the attacks were believed to be in retaliation for the alleged seizure of cattle by the Benue State government.
Other communities listed as at risk included Mararaba, Jangargari, Wurgi, Gidan Antonny, Akon, Usende, Gaar, Vandikya, Chiata, Dooga, Gidan Baban Yara, Apelle, Pantaki, Kaambe, and the Stadium area.
The intelligence also warned of cross-border raids by “suspected armed Fulani mercenaries” targeting Tiv settlements along the Benue-Nasarawa boundary.
Despite the early warnings, no significant preventive action appears to have been taken, sparking public outrage over what many view as a failure of security coordination.
In response to rising tensions, OPWS commander Moses Gara convened a high-level meeting in Makurdi in May with leaders of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders’ Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), security officials, and local authorities. Discussions focused on rising insecurity, retaliatory violence, cattle rustling, and abductions.
Yet, barely a month later, the attacks unfolded, raising troubling questions about the responsiveness of Nigeria’s security apparatus despite clear advance warnings.
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