“The ambush was carried out by Fulani militias, local bandits, and even hired fighters from Taraba. In Benue State we have seen an increase of armed gangs for 15 years ago,” Utoo told TruthNigeria. The Benue State Civil Protection Guards, however, are state-controlled and paid. Fulani Militias and the Wider ThreatFulani ethnic militias have killed more than 55,000 Nigerians over the past four years, cccording to the Observatory for Religious Freedom in Africa (ORFA). In Benue State, Nigeria’s complex civil conflict has been made the more intractable by the rise of Tiv banditry.