CHIEF EIMONYE DIRECTED HERDERS TO VACATE OTUKPO KINGDOM

All herders have been asked by the Och’ Otukpo Odu, Chief John Eimonye, to vacate Otukpo Kingdom with immediate effect, following a deadly attack on Nobi Village in Benue State.

The Och’ Otukpo Odu gave this directive after an attack was allegedly carried out by armed herders on Sunday, July 12, 2026, in Nobi Village, Otukpo District, which claimed several lives as well as heightened security concerns across the area: all residents must remain indoors after 8 pm.

The Monarch, In a statement signed by the Secretary of the Otukpo District Traditional Council, Chief Udeh Adole, stated that the continued presence of herders had become a serious threat to the safety, security, and well-being of residents of Otukpo Kingdom.

Chief Eimonye, the Och’ Otukpo Odu, stressed that the directive should not be viewed as prejudice or ethnic profiling but as a necessary step to protect lives and restore peace in the kingdom.

He frowned at what he described as recurring attacks allegedly linked to armed herders and lamented that the people of Otukpo had repeatedly been left vulnerable to violent assaults.

The traditional ruler vowed that Otukpo District would not be taken over by any group under his watch, insisting that the people of the Otukpo Abakwu Kingdom remain committed to defending their ancestral land.