Jeremiah Onuminya, a 54-year-old farmer from the Usha community in Agatu Local Government Area of Benue State, tragically collapsed and passed away after reacting to a false alarm about an impending attack by suspected herders.
According to sources, Onuminya was heading to his farm on Monday, March 31, 2025, when a group of youths suddenly screamed, “Fulani! Fulani!!” in alarm. Overcome with fear, he tried to escape but collapsed just a short distance from his home, dying instantly.
The incident occurred against a backdrop of rising tension in the community following allegations that 20 cows had been poisoned on a nearby farm.
In a statement released on Wednesday, the Chairman of Agatu LGA, Melvin James, expressed his condolences to Onuminya’s family.
He noted that preliminary findings, based on input from security agencies and the deceased’s relatives, suggested that Onuminya’s death was caused by exhaustion while attempting to flee, with no signs of an actual attack.
To clarify the cause of death, James proposed an autopsy, but the family declined, attributing Onuminya’s passing to health complications, according to a statement issued by the LG chairman’s media aide, Solomon Obochi.
James urged residents to avoid spreading unverified information that could incite fear and disrupt the community’s fragile peace.
He emphasized that false alarms pose significant threats to public safety and ongoing security efforts in the area.
The Benue State Chairman of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, Risku Mohammed, alleged that a local farmer was responsible for poisoning 20 cows owned by one of the association’s members.
