About 200 people, including Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), five security personnel, women, children, and community members, were killed in a fresh coordinated attack by suspected herdsmen on Yelewata and Daudu communities in Guma Local Government Area of Benue State.
The assailants struck late on Friday night, according to residents who said they had received advance warnings of impending attacks by marauding fighters.
Eyewitnesses said the attackers stormed Yelewata from both the eastern and western flanks, overpowering police and youth defenders before unleashing violence on defenceless IDPs in market stalls and nearby homes.
Several houses and market stalls were set ablaze after being doused with petrol. Many victims, some described as toddlers, were reportedly ‘slaughtered like animals’.
Another group of attackers was said to have descended on Daudu. Although youths and security personnel mounted a fierce resistance, at least five officers, including policemen and soldiers, were confirmed killed.
Mr. Matthew Mnyan, a Yelewata community leader and former Acting Chairman of the Benue State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), who spoke emotionally, described the incident as ‘a dark day’ for the local population.
He said: ‘It began around 11 pm when they emerged from the western side, opening fire. Our youths and police resisted. Then another group attacked from the east and overwhelmed them.
:They killed people, set stalls ablaze with petrol, and burnt homes. Displaced individuals from Branch Udei and surrounding villages were inside those stalls. Shockingly, none of the soldiers intervened to protect them.
‘We’ve recorded over 200 fatalities—families of 12, 15 people, including husbands, wives, and children, have all been consumed by fire. About 46 wounded were taken to hospital; so far, 20 have died’.
Mnyan said the operation appeared premeditated and well-coordinated.
He added: ‘We had prior alerts from Nasarawa State regarding attacks on Yelewata, Ukoho, Ortese, Yogbo, and Daudu. This was carried out simultaneously.
‘Daudu’s defenders managed to repel the herd, but five soldiers and police personnel died. One was a Captain. We understand that over 300 assailants had camped near Daudu.
‘The assailants seek to seize land. On Yelewata’s east side, Fulanis have occupied farmland and are refusing entry to others. That coordination from east and west was deliberate’.
Mnyan further said the community briefly considered moving corpses to the main road in protest but abandoned the plan after recalling past incidents that resulted in additional fatalities.
President of the Association of United Farmers Benue Valley (AUFBV), Chief Dennis Gbongbon, accused ‘Lakurawa bandits’ and herders of the carnage.
His words: ‘Reports indicate over 62 IDPs and farmers were killed in Yelewata; several homes and shops were burnt. As I speak, about 85 per cent of victims are IDPs who fled from places such as Antsa, Dooka, Kadarko, and Giza, now hospitalised or missing.
‘These IDPs are still farmers at heart. Even when displaced, terror found them. This is a terrifying escalation’.
Special Adviser to the Benue State Governor on Internal Security, Chief Joseph Har, confirmed the dual attack.
He said: ‘I cannot give exact numbers yet as I was not on ground, but two separate incidents happened yesterday in Yelewata and Daudu’.
A military source, speaking anonymously, confirmed that two soldiers died. ‘We lost two military personnel in that attack’, he said.
Meanwhile, in a statement by Deputy Superintendent (DSP) Udeme Edet, the Benue State Police Command acknowledged the incident, stating that tactical teams responded swiftly, engaged the assailants, and repelled the attack.
The statement read: ‘Some attackers were killed.
‘It is with deep regret that we confirm civilian deaths and injuries. We are actively pursuing the attackers and will continue efforts to protect the public’.
Recurring Attacks
Benue State has long been a flashpoint for violent clashes between herdsmen and farming communities.
Over the last decade, hundreds of lives have been lost to such attacks, especially in local government areas like Guma, Logo, and Agatu.
The violence, often attributed to disputes over land and grazing routes, has led to mass displacement, with many residents forced into IDP camps across the state. Despite repeated calls for federal intervention and several military operations in the area, attacks have persisted, fuelling a humanitarian crisis and widespread insecurity.
