Over 200 Feared Dead as Armed Herders Attack Benue Border Community
More than 200 people, including children, women, and the elderly, have reportedly been killed following a brutal attack by suspected armed herders on Yelwata, a border community in Guma Local Government Area of Benue State.
The coordinated assault, which occurred between late Friday night and the early hours of Saturday, also claimed the lives of five soldiers in a separate incident in Daudu, another community in the same LGA.
Eyewitnesses say the attackers stormed Yelwata around 10 p.m. and unleashed violence for nearly two hours, with little to no immediate security response. Many of the victims were Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) who had sought refuge in market stalls after being displaced from other communities in Benue and neighbouring Nasarawa State.
The attackers reportedly rounded up IDPs sheltering in locked shops within the market and set them ablaze. Several households were burnt alive, while 20 of the 46 injured rushed to hospitals later succumbed to their wounds.
Community leader and Acting Chairman of the Benue State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Matthew Mnyam, described the aftermath as horrific, stating that “families of 15, 12, and entire households were wiped out.” He said the death toll could climb higher as many bodies were burned beyond recognition.
Mnyam also disclosed that mobile police deployed to the area fired warning shots but did not confront the attackers directly. He alleged the attack was premeditated and part of a broader plan to displace indigenous communities from their ancestral lands.
Benue State Governor’s Adviser on Internal Security, Chief Joseph Har, confirmed the attacks but withheld casualty figures, stating investigations were ongoing.
The Nigerian Police Command in the state also confirmed the Yelwata attack. Police spokesperson DSP Udeme Edet said tactical units engaged the attackers in a shootout, killing some of them. “It is with deep sadness that we confirm lives were lost, and others were injured,” he added, noting that the police remain in pursuit of the fleeing attackers.
Meanwhile, the military is yet to issue an official statement, though sources say two soldiers were killed in the Daudu ambush. Other reports suggest five soldiers lost their lives, including one officer of captain rank, during a confrontation with heavily armed assailants near a suspected camp of over 200 militants.
President of the Association of United Farmers Benue Valley (AUFBV), Chief Dennis Gbongbon, also condemned the massacre, reporting over 62 IDPs killed and many more missing.
“This is not just a random attack. It’s a systemic effort to take over Benue land. Farmers who fled their villages for safety are now being hunted in IDP camps,” he lamented.
Local authorities and humanitarian workers continue rescue operations, while the state remains on high alert for further possible attacks in Ortese, Yogbo, and other vulnerable communities.
