Driver Stoned to Death as Border War Erupts Between Benue and Cross River

Tension has escalated once again along the Benue–Cross River border following the gruesome killing of a commercial driver, Agage Iorkyaa Ternenge, in what has been described as a tragic fallout of a protracted land dispute. The driver, who was on his way to deliver a waybill from Gboko to Obudu, was reportedly lynched by suspected Abonkip youths in Obudu Township, Cross River State. A circulating video shows him being stoned to death in broad daylight by hoodlums allegedly linked to the renewed communal violence.

According to IReporter Online, the unfortunate incident stems from the rekindling of hostilities between the Mbazarem community in Benue’s Vandeikya Local Government Area and the Abonkip community in Obudu, Cross River. The long-standing boundary disagreement exploded again on Friday, prompting emergency responses from local authorities. Vandeikya LGA Chairman, Hon. Dennis Guda, confirmed that his convoy came under gunfire while on a peace-keeping mission. He mobilised a local security outfit, Anyam Nyor, and other security agents to quell the unrest, only to discover significant destruction of farmland estimated to be worth millions of naira.

Guda reported that the gunshots were fired from the Abonkip side and that Abonkip youths had allegedly launched the attacks in retaliation for earlier damages to their farmland. In the aftermath, both sides suffered losses, with residents fleeing from the affected areas. Armed groups reportedly roamed Obudu Township on Saturday, targeting Tiv indigenes from Benue, including students of the Federal College of Education and the School of Nursing.

In response to the rising danger, Guda spearheaded a nighttime rescue operation into Obudu, successfully evacuating students, traders, and other Benue indigenes who had taken refuge at the Obudu Central Police Station. The evacuation spanned from the evening of July 18 to the next day. To prevent reprisal violence, Obudu indigenes living in high-risk zones of Vandeikya were also evacuated and handed over safely to the Divisional Police Officer in Obudu.

IReporter Online learned that despite an initial peace meeting involving police, military, and local government authorities from both sides, violence resumed shortly after the officials departed. The Mbazarem community accused Abonkip youths of breaching a verbal truce, dubbed the “Bush Peace Accord,” by launching fresh attacks.

The conflict, which began in the forests along the boundary line, quickly spilled into urban Obudu, where targeted assaults were reported. According to IReporter Online, many affected victims were students and business owners caught off guard by the sudden escalation. Meanwhile, the Benue State Police Command confirmed that efforts by both local government chairmen to resolve the conflict are ongoing.

DSP Udeme Edet, the Police Public Relations Officer, affirmed that peace talks have commenced between the authorities of the two local governments. Chairman Guda has called for calm and stressed that dialogue between the two communities remains the best path forward to preventing further bloodshed and destruction.