A wave of fear and chaos swept through Chito, a town in Ukum Local Government Area of Benue State, as armed Fulani militia herdsmen launched a brazen attack on the community's marketplace.
According to eyewitness accounts, three men believed to be Fulani militia stormed the market on motorcycles in broad daylight, wielding AK-47s and other high-powered rifles.
The terrifying scene sent traders and villagers fleeing for safety, abandoning their stalls and homes in a desperate bid to survive.
Residents, including pregnant women, children, and the elderly, reportedly spent the entire night hiding in nearby bushes under heavy rainfall.
Some who managed to escape said the gunmen fired sporadically, creating widespread panic and forcing an entire community into displacement overnight.
"This is not just insecurity—this is terrorism in our own land," a local youth leader told ConfirmNews. "How is this any different from the conditions in war-torn countries like Afghanistan?"
The humanitarian situation in Chito and surrounding villages is rapidly deteriorating, as thousands of residents remain in hiding, without food, shelter, or medical care.
Community leaders have called on both the state and federal governments to urgently intervene before the situation escalates further.
Security analysts have warned that the unchecked presence of armed militia groups in rural Benue State is creating a parallel crisis, likened to conditions in conflict zones across the Middle East.
So far, there has been no official statement from Benue State authorities regarding the Chito incident.
As tension continues to rise across Ukum and neighboring LGAs, residents are asking: How many more lives must be lost before Nigeria secures its own people?