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Arabian Post
16-06-2025
- Politics
- Arabian Post
Benue Community Devastated as Over 100 Massacred
An assault on Yelewata village in Guma local government area of Benue State has left more than 100 inhabitants dead, dozens missing and hundreds wounded, with authorities scrambling to respond. The attack, which began late on Friday and extended into Saturday's early hours, bore the hallmarks of deliberate and coordinated violence. Eyewitnesses and first responders described scenes of horror: armed assailants forcibly confined residents inside their homes before setting them ablaze. Burned remains were found throughout the community, with many victims incinerated beyond recognition. Medical services remain overwhelmed, as the injured fight for survival in makeshift conditions. Authorities in Benue State swiftly dispatched security and emergency teams to the afflicted area. The police confirmed the event but have yet to release an official death toll. The state governor, Hyacinth Alia, has facilitated support for survivors and mobilised relief for displaced families. Meanwhile, the Association of United Farmers reported that over 100 lives were lost and more than 100 individuals remain critically injured at Benue State University Teaching Hospital in Makurdi. ADVERTISEMENT While no group has claimed responsibility, the incident closely resembles earlier violent episodes in this region rooted in conflict between primarily Fulani herders and local farming communities. Clashes over land rights, grazing routes and access to water have escalated markedly in recent years. Amnesty International Nigeria detailed this specific attack, noting it occurred in Guma LGA and involved forced confinement and immolation of entire families. Historical context lends sombre perspective. Since 2019, the herder-farmer feud across Nigeria's Middle Belt has resulted in over 500 fatalities and forced more than 2.2 million people from their homes. Notably, April's bloodshed in neighbouring Plateau State claimed around 40 lives, while a May assault on Gwer West district resulted in at least 20 fatalities. The hostilities stem from a complex web of environmental pressures and historical land-use policies. Fulani herders assert rights to traditional grazing corridors dating from 1965, but expanding agricultural boundaries and intensifying drought have strained those arrangements. A recent academic report on insecurity's economic toll in Benue confirms a downturn in both crop and livestock yields tied to violent incidents, noting a drop in productivity of 0.21% for crops and 0.31% for livestock for every percent rise in insecurity. Public outrage has mounted in the wake of the Yelewata massacre. Local vigilantes and youth groups staged protests in Makurdi and elsewhere, denouncing what they call a 'killing spree' and calling for robust government action. Prominent farmers' associations demanded reinforced security deployments, enhancements to local policing frameworks and the institution of grazing reserves to forestall future bloodshed. Security experts urge the federal and state governments to adopt a multipronged strategy: rapid deployment of well-trained security personnel, improved intelligence capacity, legal regulation of grazing corridors, and community engagement efforts aimed at defusing ethnic tensions. Analysts warn that without a swift, systemic approach, the region risks sliding into deeper cycles of retaliation and displacement. Amid the crisis, humanitarian organisations are racing to assist survivors. The lack of basic amenities—clean water, shelter, trauma counselling—compounds the agony of victims. Medical staff at Makurdi's teaching hospital have issued urgent calls for blood donations; the capacity to treat is nearing collapse. This tragedy underscores longstanding vulnerabilities that have frustrated Nigeria's authorities. As the death toll from attacks like these continues to mount, expectations are rising that local and national leaders will strengthen the rule of law, protect civilian lives, and address the structural roots of violence in the Middle Belt.
Muscat Daily
15-06-2025
- Politics
- Muscat Daily
Nigeria: Gunmen kill at least 100 in Benue state
Abuja, Nigeria – Gunmen killed at least 100 people in the Yelewata village in Nigeria's Benue state late on Friday, Amnesty International Nigeria said. 'Many people are still missing…dozens injured and left without adequate medical care. Many families were locked up and burnt inside their bedrooms,' the human rights organisation said in a social media post. Police spokesperson Udeme Edet from Benue confirmed the attack but did not specify the death toll. It was not immediately clear who was responsible for the attack. Governor of Benue state Hyacinth Alia sent a delegation to Yelewata to provide support to the relatives of the victims. Visuals circulated on social media showed burnt houses and corpses. Violence in the Middle Belt Benue state lies in Nigeria's Middle Belt, in the centre of the Muslim-majority north and the Christian-majority south. The region often sees violence over access to land and water resources between farmers and herders, worsened by ethnic and religious tensions. Violence in the region has claimed 500 lives since 2019, and displaced thousands of others, as per data by Nigerian geopolitical research consultancy SBM Intelligence. Last month, gunmen believed to be herders killed at least 20 in the Gwer West district in Benue. In April, 40 were killed in in the nearby state of Plateau. DW
Arab Times
15-06-2025
- Arab Times
At least 100 people killed by gunmen in north-central Nigeria: rights group
ABUJA, Nigeria, June 15, (AP): At least 100 people have been killed in a gun attack on a village in Nigeria 's north-central Benue state, Amnesty International Nigeria said Saturday. The attack took place between late Friday and the early hours of Saturday in Yelewata, a community in the Guma area of the state, the rights group said in a Facebook post. Dozens of people are still missing, and hundreds were injured and without adequate medical care, it added. "Many families were locked up and burnt inside their bedrooms. So many bodies were burnt beyond recognition,' Amnesty said. Graphic videos and photographs on social media platforms showed what appeared to be corpses and burnt down houses in the aftermath of the attack. Udeme Edet, a spokesperson of the police in Benue, confirmed that an attack took place in Yelewata, but did not specify how many people were killed. While it remains unclear who was responsible for the killings, such attacks are common in Nigeria's northern region where local herders and farmers often clash over limited access to land and water. The farmers accuse the herders, mostly of Fulani origin, of grazing their livestock on their farms and destroying their produce. The herders insist that the lands are grazing routes that were first backed by law in 1965, five years after the country gained its independence. Last month, gunmen, believed to be herders, killed at least 20 people in the Gwer West area of Benue.
Indian Express
15-06-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
At least 100 people killed by gunmen in north-central Nigeria, Amnesty International says
At least 100 people have been killed in a gun attack on a village in Nigeria 's north-central Benue state, Amnesty International Nigeria said Saturday. The attack took place between late Friday and the early hours of Saturday in Yelewata, a community in the Guma area of the state, the rights group said in a Facebook post. Dozens of people are still missing, and hundreds were injured and without adequate medical care, it added. 'Many families were locked up and burnt inside their bedrooms. So many bodies were burnt beyond recognition,' Amnesty said. Graphic videos and photographs on social media platforms showed what appeared to be corpses and burnt down houses in the aftermath of the attack. Udeme Edet, a spokesperson of the police in Benue, confirmed that an attack took place in Yelewata, but did not specify how many people were killed. While it remains unclear who was responsible for the killings, such attacks are common in Nigeria's northern region where local herders and farmers often clash over limited access to land and water. The farmers accuse the herders, mostly of Fulani origin, of grazing their livestock on their farms and destroying their produce. The herders insist that the lands are grazing routes that were first backed by law in 1965, five years after the country gained its independence. Last month, gunmen, believed to be herders, killed at least 20 people in the Gwer West area of Benue. In April, at least 40 people were killed in the neighbouring state of Plateau. Benue State Gov. Hyacinth Alia has sent a delegation to Yelewat to support relatives of the victims.
DW
15-06-2025
- Politics
- DW
Nigeria: Gunmen kill at least 100 in Benue state – DW – 06/15/2025
About 100 people were killed by gunmen in the Yelewata village in Benue state. The region is known for conflicts between farmers and herders. Gunmen killed at least 100 people in the Yelewata village in Nigeria's Benue state late Friday, Amnesty International Nigeria said. "Many people are still injured and left without adequate medical care. Many families were locked up and burnt inside their bedrooms," the human rights organization said in a social media post. Police spokesperson Udeme Edet from Benue confirmed the attack but did not specify the death toll. It was not immediately clear who was responsible for the attack. Governor of Benue state Hyacinth Alia sent a delegation to Yelewata to provide support to the relatives of the victims. Visuals circulated on social media showed burnt houses and corpses. Violence in the Middle Belt Benue state lies in Nigeria's Middle Belt, in the center of the Muslim-majority north and the Christian-majority south. The region often sees violence over access to land and water resources between farmers and herders, worsened by ethnic and religious tensions. Violence in the region has claimed 500 lives since 2019, and displaced thousands of others, as per data by Nigerian geopolitcal research consultancy SBM Intelligence. Last month, gunmen believed to be herders killed at least 20 in the Gwer West district in Benue. In April, 40 were killed in in the nearby state of Plateau.
