The brutal mob killing of Mr. Ternenge Iorkyaa Ikpanor, a Tiv commercial driver popularly known as “Agege,” has triggered widespread outrage and renewed ethnic tensions between communities in Benue and Cross River States.
Mr Ikpanor, a native of Mbanyam in Mbaduku, Vandeikya Local Government Area of Benue State, was gruesomely murdered in Obudu town on Friday, July 18, 2025, in what local authorities and family sources describe as a retaliatory mob attack following renewed violence in a long-standing land dispute between the Mbazarem community of Benue and the Abonkip community in Cross River.
According to the Executive Chairman of Vandeikya Local Government, Hon. Dennis Terkura Guda, the conflict escalated earlier in the day when gunfire was reported from Abonkip into the disputed border area.
Despite efforts by a joint security task force and an emergency bush peace accord, violence later broke out in Obudu town, where Tiv civilians—unarmed and unrelated to the frontline conflict—became targets of mob action.
“Mr. Ikpanor was lynched in broad daylight while on a routine trip to deliver a waybill from Gboko. This was not a reprisal; it was a calculated act of ethnic violence. His attackers were not frontline fighters; they were youths in town who chose to take innocent life,” Hon. Guda said in an official statement.
Hon Guda, who personally led an overnight security-backed rescue mission into Obudu, confirmed that many Tiv residents, including students of the Federal College of Education and the School of Nursing, as well as traders, were successfully evacuated to safety.
Chairman Guda has called for calm and restraint, urging residents of both states to allow constituted authorities to handle the crisis.
He described the murder video as “satanic” and warned that acts of ethnic hatred could ignite long-term conflict between Benue and Cross River.
“Vengeance will not bring back the dead. Only justice and peace will prevent more deaths,” he said.
In a reciprocal move, Obudu indigenes living in volatile areas of Vandeikya were escorted to safety and handed over to local police.
A joint security meeting involving the Nigeria Police, military, and the Divisional Police Officers (DPOs) of Vandeikya and Obudu was convened in the bush but failed to stem the tide of violence.
The bereaved family of Mr. Ikpanor issued a press statement on Monday condemning the killing as “criminal, inhuman, and barbaric.”
“This is not just a tragedy for the Tiv people; it is a national stain on our shared humanity. Agege was a hardworking, law-abiding citizen. He was not involved in any violence. He was killed simply for his identity,” said Dr. Elijah Ikpanor Agege Shar, a family representative.
The family called on the Inspector General of Police to fast-track the arrest of the perpetrators and demanded that the National Human Rights Commission launch an independent inquiry.
They are also appealing for the prompt release of the victim’s body for burial and psychological support for his wife and three children.
In a scathing open letter, journalist and activist Agba Jalingo—a native of Obudu—condemned the killing as a “war crime” and described the perpetrators as “blood-thirsty career murderers.”
“Our tradition is to fight in the bushes when conflicts arise, not to hunt down innocent civilians in town. This was not an act of war; it was a cold-blooded murder. Those involved must be arrested and prosecuted,” Jalingo said.
He warned that failure to act decisively could embolden others and trigger a cycle of ethnic retaliation. “Their faces are visible in the viral video. The police must not rest until they are arrested.”
Local observers fear the situation could spiral if urgent peace measures are not enforced. Already, the land dispute between the two border communities has taken a deadly turn, with farmlands destroyed and innocent lives lost.
