Nasarawa State, Nigeria: Haven for Terrorists
- TruthNigeria
- Aug 12
- 4 min read
Updated: Aug 18
Governor Sule Insists His State Is not a Terrorist Sanctuary
By Ekani Olikita
(Makurdi) Nasarawa State, rarely cited in terrorism news until recently, has gained increasing mention as a key staging ground for cross-border terrorist attacks in the neighboring states of Benue and Plateau.
Eyewitnesses of the June 13-14 attack on Yelewata in Benue State claimed that the Fulani invaders originated in Nasarawa State.
TruthNigeria had the most complete account of the massacre on June 14 and noted that the armed killers “came from Rukubi in Doma, Keana, Obi and other counties in Nasarawa State.
The growing security threat centered in Nasarawa has been noted alarm noted not only in Nigeria’s Middle Belt but among international observers tracking ethnic and religious violence across West Africa.
Nasarawa is in Nigeria’s North-Central region, commonly referred to as the Middle Belt—a geographically diverse area that marks the cultural transition from the predominantly Muslim north to the largely Christian south. It shares borders with Benue and Kogi to the south, Plateau and Taraba to the east, Kaduna to the north, and the Federal Capital Territory (which includes the city of Abuja) to the west.
The state is roughly the size of Vermont and home to about 2.5 million people, split almost evenly between Muslims and Christians. The state is heavily agrarian and ethnically diverse, made up of over a dozen tribes with distinct languages and traditions. Nasarawa has recently become notorious as a haven for one dominant tribe, the Fulani, who number up to 10 million in Nigeria. Militant groups within this ethnicity —armed factions often associated with herder communities – have staged atrocities against Christian farming populations in neighboring areas, according to former Benue State governors, tribal kings, and Nigerian subject experts in the United States.
Troubled History, Strategic Location
Nasarawa’s central position and level terrain have made it attractive to armed groups seeking access to multiple neighboring states. Its porous borders and overstretched federal police have allowed these groups to operate with relative freedom.
Five counties within Nasarawa—Awe, Keana, Doma, Obi, and Nasarawa—lie directly across the River Benue from Benue State, one of Nigeria’s hardest-hit regions for ethnic and religious violence. These counties are now being described by local leaders as incubators and operational bases for Fulani militants.
Fulani Militants and Their Targets
Celebrated as semi-nomadic cattle herders, the Fulani ethnicity are spread across West and Central Africa. In recent years what was once regarded as a resource conflict has taken on the contours of religious extremism and Islamization.
Sedentary farmers in five counties in Benue—Agatu, Gwer-West, Makurdi, Guma, and Logo—have borne the brunt of village burnings and massacres for years. Militants often cross the River Benue at night, raid villages, and return before dawn. Victims and community leaders say that attackers are well-armed and highly coordinated.
Former Benue Governor Gabriel Suswam stated in a televised interview in July 2025 that most attacks in his state originated from Nasarawa. He accused Nasarawa of “harboring Fulani terrorists” who retreat across state lines after each raid.
State Officials on Defense against Accusations
Nasarawa’s Governor Abdullahi Sule has faced mounting criticism for what some see as a failure—or even complicity—in addressing the growing militancy. In 2024, the leader of a Fulani advocacy group, Bello Bodejo, claimed in a confessional statement that Governor Sule pressured him into forming a Fulani ethnic militia group, “Kungiya Zaman Lafiya.” The governor has denied the allegation, but Bodejo is currently on trial for terrorism.
Professors, lawyers, traditional kings and civil rights activists—including U.S.-based academic Barrister Franc Utoo—have accused Governor Sule of providing safe havens for militants.
Utoo, a native of Yelewata in Benue, claims that in 2022 he helped identify a Fulani terror camp just four kilometers from the village of Gidan-Sule in Nasarawa, which was later bombed by the Nigerian Air Force.
Benue Attackers Originate from Nasarawa State: Paramount Ruler
The Paramount Ruler of the Tiv Kingdom in Benue State, His Royal Majesty Prof. James Iorzua Ayatse on Tuesday, July 29, 2025, told the visiting First Lady of Nigeria, Sen Oluremi Tinubu, in Makurdi that the Fulani Terrorists killing the people in Benue come from neighboring Nasarawa State, corroborating the accusation by Prof Gundu and others.
“Your Excellency Ma, our attackers come from Nasarawa State. After attacking us, they withdraw and go back to Nasarawa State,” Prof. Ayatse told the First Lady in the presence of state dignitaries and traditional council members meeting in Makurdi,” the King said.
The visibly angry First Lady in her response, assured the people of the state that, their message would be delivered.
For his part, Governor Sule has acknowledged that after some attacks Fulani terrorists were regrouping in Nasarawa and that weapons proliferation was a serious problem. Yet, he has also threatened legal action against accusers, insisting that his state is not a sanctuary for terrorists.
Inaction and Civilian Outcry
The Nigerian military has been accused of selective enforcement.
Middle Belt Forum President Dr. Bitrus Pogu told TruthNigeria that while local Christian youths are arrested for attempting to defend their communities with shot guns, known terrorist camps are left untouched. The failure to conduct a comprehensive security sweep of Nasarawa’s forest enclaves is emboldening terrorists and further destabilizing the region, according to Pogu.
Launchpad Crossings on River Identified
Fulani Jihadists in Nasarawa State cross the Benue River to attack, kidnap, and kill Benue residents then retreat to their safe havens at identified crossings, according to a security expert speaking anonymously to TruthNigeria.
Heavily armed gunmen cross chiefly from Obi, Keana, Nasarawa and Doma counties through Rukubi to Riverine communities of Kwatan-Bala, Obendo, Achepe, Olegokpa, Ijiwo, Otiya, Olegangbulu, Odenyi, Loko in Nasarawa State. The invading mercenaries attack unarmed farming families in Makurdi, Gwer-West, Gwer-East, Agatu, Apa and Guma Counties through the Riverine communities of Lower-Basin, Mbaku in Makurdi, Oleg’Ada’Gomowe, New Nigeria, Olegijamu, Ogbowu, Achukpa, Gidan-Pepa, Ogbaji in Gwer-West, Olego-makwu, Onahe, Ocholonya, Abugbe, Mwenyi, Adana, Olegadapati, Alada-Echono, Oweto, Okpanchenyi, Ikpele, Okpokpolo in Agatu County
A Warning for the Region—and the World
The fallout from this unchecked violence is staggering. Residents are leaving villages across Benue State in droves. Thousands have been killed or displaced, and economic activity—especially farming—has ground to a halt in many regions.
Conflict analysts warn that if nothing is done, Nasarawa could become a permanent staging ground for extremist violence, destabilizing Nigeria’s entire Middle Belt and potentially influencing cross-border conflict dynamics in Cameroon, Niger, and Chad.
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