FACT CHECK: Were 17 people killed on Easter Sunday in Gwer East, Benue state as widely reported on April 5, 2026?

FACT CHECK: Were 17 people killed on Easter Sunday in Gwer East, Benue state as widely reported on April 5, 2026?

By John Ochojila

At about noon on Easter Sunday  several online media platforms heightened tension across Benue state when they flew stories claiming that 17 persons had been murdered on Easter day in Mbalom, Gwer East LGA of the state, by suspected armed herdsmen.

Some of the news outlets that gave prominence to the story included Daily Post, Premium Times, TheCable and even Arise News among others.

Going by the time of the publications, that particular report was initially flown by Daily Post and then followed by the likes of Premium Times, TheCable, Arise News, among others who obviously relied on the content of the Daily Post for their individual reports though without acknowledging it.

Following that claim, available facts have exposed the misleading content of the news reports that would have exacerbated the security situation in the state; given the outrage that greeted the development when the news filtered across the state.

CLAIM: 17 persons were killed on Easter Sunday in Mbalom by armed herdsmen.

VERIFICATION:

Interestingly, findings indicated that the publication by Daily Post and others that went to town with that report never ascribed the number of casualties to any eyewitness nor was there a direct quote from the source of the said report as can be seen in the published stories above.

Curiously, these media organisations also goofed in their claims that the attack occurred on Easter Sunday when in actual fact the heartrending incident happened in the early hours of Saturday, as also reported by News Central, between the hours of 5 and 6am.

Moreso the number of deaths, as confirmed by the Security Adviser to the Gwer East Local Government Chairman, Austin Awua, who was on ground on Easter Sunday afternoon to evacuate the corpses of the dead stood at nine.

The Chairman of the LGA, Mr. Timothy Adi also confirmed the figure and the Benue State Police Command, though belatedly, confirmed in a statement that nine corpses were recovered in the community on Easter Sunday.

A statement released Sunday evening by the Command’s Public Relations Officer, DSP, Udeme Edet read in part: “The Benue State Police Command wishes to inform the general public of a tragic incident that occurred on 4th April 2026 in Mbalom Community, Gwer East LGA, where suspected armed herdsmen attacked the community, resulting in loss of lives and injuries.

“Upon receipt of the distress report, police operatives, in synergy with other security agencies, were promptly mobilized to the area. A combined team of security personnel conducted a thorough search of the affected community, during which nine (9) corpses were recovered and have been evacuated to the General Hospital, Aliade.

“Preliminary findings indicate that the incident followed heightened tensions within the locality. While the Command is aware of varying accounts surrounding the circumstances of the attack, a comprehensive investigation is ongoing to ascertain the facts and ensure that all those responsible are identified and brought to justice.

“The Deputy Commissioner of Police in Charge of Operations, in company of the Area Commander Gboko, are currently on ground overseeing coordinated security operations aimed at stabilizing the area, preventing further violence, and reassuring residents,” the statement added.

In fact this was the figure reported by reputable conventional media organisations including Vanguard, Punch, Daily Trust, The Sun, Daily Independent and a host of others who quoted the Council Chairman and the search and rescue team on ground in the community. 

Moreover the gory pictures of the recovered, near decomposing, corpses clearly indicated that nine corpses were recovered on the day by the search team that included the Security Adviser to the Council Chairman, Austin Awua.

The death toll only rose to 11 on Monday April 6, 2026 following the discovery of two more corpses in the community as confirmed by a community leader, Christopher Gbasha, in an exclusive chat with Vanguard Newspapers where he also disclosed that officials of the Benue State Emergency Management Agency, SEMA, moved to the community to document the devastation.

One of the food barns burnt during the attack.

Officials of the Benue State Emergency Management Agency, SEMA, in the deserted community to document the level of destruction.

Curiously, Daily Post that initially reported the murder of 17 persons in that incident, on Monday claimed that the death toll had risen to 11. The content of that report clearly indicated that it could have been lifted from Vanguard, and it also contradicted its earlier unverified report which probably misled other platforms that quoted 17 as the casualty figure.

VERDICT: Inaccurate 

The publication is inaccurate as a result of the discrepancies in casualties figures and date of the incident.

It was established that there was an attack on Mbalom community, but the casualty figure and the day the incident occurred as published by selected media outlets were incorrect and misleading.

This piece was produced in collaboration with the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD-West Africa) as part of its Media Fellowship in Benue state 

#CDDWestAfrica #TruthNaPower #fightfakeNews #VerifyBeforeYouShare