A large rice farm in Gwer West Local Government Area of Benue State was on Sunday afternoon, November 2, 2025, reportedly set ablaze by individuals suspected to be herdsmen, resulting in extensive damage.
The farm, owned by Mr. Ugbakayaa and situated at Tse Orbiam along the Naka–Makurdi road, was said to have gone up in flames, consuming several hectares of cultivated rice. Witnesses disclosed that the fire destroyed both standing crops and heaps of already-harvested rice awaiting threshing, leaving the farmer and workers devastated.
Eyewitness, Mr. Ado Bartholomew, recounted how the fire quickly engulfed the entire farmland, leaving nothing behind.
“In just a matter of minutes, the whole place was swallowed by flames. Every bag of harvested rice set aside for threshing was burned,” he said, describing the incident as a heartbreaking loss for the family.
daily sustenance relied heavily on the rice farm, has been thrown into deep shock and heartbreak after the massive destruction of their fields.
Residents and sympathizers who trooped to the scene expressed outrage over the incident, strongly condemning the persistent attacks on farmers in the community. They lamented the worsening insecurity that has continued to cripple agricultural activities across Benue State, leaving many farmers hopeless and afraid to return to their farmlands.
They urged the Federal Government and security authorities to intensify measures aimed at safeguarding farmers in Gwer West and other at-risk communities that have repeatedly suffered attacks and displacement believed to be carried out by armed herders.
At the time this report was compiled, security agencies had not yet released an official statement on the incident.