Gov Alia of Benue State, addressing families of the fallen heroes on September 5, 2025 at Government House Makurdi. According to the Observatory for Religious Freedom in Africa (ORFA), the Fulani ethnic militia are the cause of 55,000 deaths in the last four years. We now have something like over 3,000 widows — a conservative estimate — in Benue State. “On his way home, about five Fulani jihadists ambushed him, chanting ‘Allahu Akbar.’ They killed him and seized the foodstuffs. As Benue grapples with ongoing attacks, the governor’s gesture gives some relief to widows of fallen security officers.