At least 100 people were killed late Friday when gunmen stormed Yelewata village in Guma local government arear of Benue State, Nigeria, in one of the deadliest attacks recorded in the region this year.
Amnesty International Nigeria confirmed the figure in multiple media platforms, saying dozens more were injured and many remain missing. The organization also reported that entire families were locked in their homes and set ablaze during the brutal overnight raid.
Reports have it that among the families that were mostly affected were that of Awosanya Olushoga Tunde, a Yoruba whose family resides in the town.
Others were Gabriel Adenuga, Moroof Abdullahi and many others.
It was gathered that while Awosanya Olushoga Tunde lost the entire household to the attack, his whereabouts remain unknown till date as he was part of those declared missing in the attack.
“Many people are still missing… dozens injured and left without adequate medical care. Many families were locked up and burnt inside their bedrooms,” Amnesty International said in a social media post.
Photos and videos circulating online showed charred houses and the lifeless bodies of victims scattered across the village.
Udeme Eden, Police spokesperson in Benue state confirmed the attack but did not give a specific death toll. The region has long suffered from repeated attacks linked to armed herders and communal violence.
A full investigation is expected to be launched as pressure mounts on authorities to act.
In response to the killings, hundreds of youths took to the streets of Makurdi the state capital, on Sunday to protest what they described as government inaction and worsening insecurity.
The demonstrators, dressed in black and carrying palm fronds and placards, blocked the busy Wurukum junction, disrupting traffic and demanding justice for the slain villagers.
The protest created panic among motorists and commuters, as roads were barricaded for hours. Despite heavy surveillance in the capital, the youths remained defiant, chanting slogans and calling for urgent security reforms.
“We are tired of burying our people. Benue cannot continue like this”; one protester said.
It’s unfortunate that among those that were victims are farmers who have been assisting police and security agencies in releasing information on the activities of these herders. The herders specifically targeted those families before unleashing their arsenals on others.
They mentioned one Awosanya Olushoga Tunde, who has been a subject of attacks on several occasions, they wiped out his entire household and he is part of those missing now.
They revealed that Awosanya Olushoga Tunde has been a thorn in the flesh of the herders as he always confronts them whenever their cows wanted to pasture on his farm, a situation that always led to threat from the Fulani Herdsmen.
The Yelewata massacre comes just a day after armed herders reportedly attacked Yelewata and Daudu towns in the same Guma Local Government area of the state.
