As President Bola Tinubu visits Benue State today, survivors of last Friday’s deadly attacks at Yelewata in Guma Local Government Area of the state have recounted the anguish they suffered in the attack perpetrated by armed herdsmen, which resulted in the death of over 200 persons, mainly women and children. 

Several houses were also set ablaze by the marauding herdsmen who left blood and sorrow in their trail. 

This came as Benue State governor, Hyacinth Alia, yesterday rejected calls for self-defence by residents, asking communities to support the establishment of a more robust community policing system.

This is even as the Chief of Defence Staff, CDS, General Christopher Musa, pushed for what he described as self-protection, in the form of civilian joint task force, CJTF, as it is in Borno, to defend local communities, just as the United Nations sought justice for victims of the attack.

I lost 20 members of my family — Michael Ajah

Narrating his ordeal, a survivor, Michael Ajah, who said he lost at least 20 members of his family to the attack, said: “My people, 11 of my family members died in this house, eight died in the other store, and some died here. My family members, 20 in number, died in the attack,’’

While stating that he also lost goods and property in the attack, Ajah said: “This is my store. Those shops are my stores. Those places are burnt. My house is up there, that place also is burnt. My store where I keep my goods is also burnt.

‘’They burnt everything. They burnt our food and my family members. What we came out with were our clothes we have on. And I, standing here, this is what I came out with. And this is the only thing that I have now. There is nothing else with me.’’

Describing how the attackers stormed their home late in the night during a heavy downpour, Ajah said: “On that very day, rain started in the evening, so we entered the house. I slept there. Around 10.20, we heard gunshots at the back there. So, before we realised that something was happening, Fulani men entered this place.

He added that he was certain they were Fulani men because he heard them speak.

“They were Fulani men, I heard them speaking, not that somebody told me. I was inside the room there and they surrounded the room. I escaped narrowly. My brother was burnt in this house. Some escaped. My dad was burnt in this house,” he said.

Another survivor, Bature Bartholomew, said he lost his younger brother, his sister-in-law, and his mother in the attack, adding that they were all burnt in their home.

Bartholomew, who also noted that his goods worth millions of naira were burnt during the attack, said: “I can’t say precisely the cost of what I lost but it runs into millions of naira. I store grains such as guinea corn, maize, soya beans, rice.

“My younger brother lived here. He’s no longer alive, he was burnt inside this house. He was burnt in this house, his wife, mother and many others were burnt in this house.”

8 members of my immediate family killed —Joseph

Another survivor, Joseph Kwagh, said he lost eight members of his immediate family, including his father, step-mother and six siblings. 

He revealed that the attackers had sent prior warnings to the community, which residents had dismissed due to similar threats in the past that never materialised.

“On the day of the attacks, there were rumours that Fulani herdsmen sent messages across that they were coming to attack Yelewata, just like every other time, they have always sent threats of attacking Yelewata.

“We are used to hearing rumours of the attackers coming and most times, when they come, they meet stiff resistance from the military, police and local vigilantes stationed in our community and they go back. So, we had thought it will be same situation as it has been in the past.

“We thought it was like previous rumours that come and go without anything happening. We kept vigil outside our houses, talking and sharing stories. This time around, they were well-armed and hell-bent on killing anyone they see. That is why even babies were hacked to death.” Kwagh said.

According to him, residents of the community remained outdoor that evening, unaware of the looming tragedy, until they sought shelter in their homes as a result of a heavy downpour.

Kwagh said: “The rains started falling down heavily, all of a sudden, everyone rushed to seek refuge in their various shelters. My father, his wife (my step-mother), and six of my siblings now crossed to the other side of the expressway to the other house that was serving as grain stores to get shielded from the rains.

“At this point, there were gunshots everywhere in Yelewata, with pandemonium everywhere. Not long after the rain started, I heard cries and shouts across the other side of the road, where my father, step-mother and my other siblings had gone to seek shelter, but with the heavy rain, the noise was too loud to know what the shouts/cries were about.

“Not until someone came running towards our location with blood all over him and saying that they have come and are killing people, that was when I and my mother and the rest of my biological brothers and sisters decided to flee to the place where the security agents were also engaging the attackers from all positions. That was how I was able to escape with my mother and siblings to safety.

“The local vigilantes, the military and police really did their best, but I guess they ran out of ammunition, until reinforcements came from Makurdi.”

Kwagh said he later returned to the house where his relatives had gone and discovered their charred remains among the burnt stores.

“I was able to go to the very house my father and the other members of our family went to hide, where I discovered his charred remains, along with my step-mother and siblings. I was really devastated.

“We had foodstuffs in the store, where we normally go to restock our household, all burnt down along with our family members,” he recounted.

He also lamented the loss of not just his loved ones but also his means of livelihood, describing it as a devastating blow to his future.

“My worst fears are that, these deaths have created a vacuum that I cannot fill. I have lost the little investment in terms of my savings, my foodstuffs, seedlings for this year’s planting season and the fear of not being able to go back to farm again… because you never can tell what these attackers are capable of doing going further.

“My remaining surviving family is where I am gathering strength from. There is no one except me to cater for their needs. However, as far as there is life, there will be hope too,” he said.
He blamed the longstanding herder-farmer crisis for the tragedy, noting that tensions had escalated over disputes involving grazing on farmland.

Kwagh added: “Before this time, there has been cases of cattle grazing on our farmland and when we arrest the cattle and take to the police authorities, the compensation is never commensurate with the value or worth of crops destroyed by the grazing cattle. And we end up getting impoverished every season.

“Our elders decided to ask them to leave our land, so they can farm peacefully. That is our only crime. Nobody harmed them. They only said, since we are not allowing them to graze on our land, we too will not know peace. That is their threat to us.

“The world should be told that the peaceful place called Yelewata was massacred by Fulani attackers who have been waging war against us, unprovoked attacks, such that we are not able to go to farm to cultivate and grow crops, our only source of livelihood.”

Alia rejects calls for self-defence, backs community policing

Following the attack, Benue State governor, Hyacinth Alia, yesterday rejected calls for self-defence by residents, urging communities to support the establishment of a more robust community policing system.

Speaking on AIT News, Alia appealed for calm and warned against emotionally-driven responses that could escalate insecurity.

“Where you have people who just decide to work up because of sentiments and emotions that are attached to what is happening with us and within us, I think we’re rendering ourselves a bit more vulnerable. So, I wouldn’t advocate for self-defence,” the governor said.

Instead, he reaffirmed his belief in community policing as the most effective response to the state’s security challenges. “I would encourage us all to keep calling for community policing because it’s the only way. It’s only people from within the state and the local government who would understand what is going on with them,” he said.

Alia emphasised that external security forces might lack the local understanding necessary to respond swiftly to such attacks.

His comments came amid growing frustration among Benue residents and calls from civil society groups, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, for urgent government action and justice for victims.

Recall that former Senate President, David Mark, on Monday alluded to people defending themselves should the killings continue.

CDS pushes community self-protection to end Benue killings

The Chief of Defence Staff, CDS, General Christopher Musa, pushed forward the training of credible youths across Benue State as vigilantes working under the supervision of the military, as was done in Borno State, to defend local communities against terrorist attacks.

The CDS stated this at a meeting with traditional rulers in Makurdi, the Benue State capital, yesterday.

He urged the traditional rulers to put a check on any criminal elements within their domains, warning that he would not tolerate any act of sabotage while working to ensure the protection of Benue communities.

The defence chief, who has been in the state since Monday, had said the military will change strategy to combat the acts of terror.

.On Monday, the CDS and the Inspector General of Police, IGP, Kayode Egbetokun had toured the troubled scenes and ordered field commanders from neighbouring Nasarawa State to review their operational strategies and deal decisively with any act of terrorism in the state.

“We are tired of innocent souls being killed, and we’re here to ensure that we address such. I’ll be going to see my commanders and we have to change our strategy.

“We’re going to look inward and see how we can address it, but as we mentioned, we cannot do it alone without the community, without the state.

“We need everybody to be part of it. We understand that even before now we used to have even within us people that compromise and give information because going around, you see the way some of the burnings were made, were targeted and which means they were insiders and so, I’ve discussed with the communities, the traditional rulers, with the clergy for us to work united,” the CDS had said.

Benue, a food-producing state in Nigeria’s North-Central zone, has been under heavy, sustained attacks by suspected herdsmen for some time.

The killings have lingered for years, with some linking it to inter-communal conflicts as well as the quest for land dominance between the autonomous agrarian idigenes and nomadic cattle rearers.

UN condemns attacks, calls for justice

As condemnations of the killings continued yesterday, UN Secretary-General António Guterres, who also condemned the attacks, said those responsible should be apprehended.

Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesperson for the Secretary-General, said: “We’re monitoring the situation.”

The secretary-general condemns the killing of innocent civilians, including in Nigeria and we hope that those responsible for this violence will be found and apprehended.”

We’ve failed our people, say Benue lawmakers

Also yesterday, Benue State House of Assembly Tuesday decried the killings in the state, lamenting that the executive and legislature have failed in their responsibilities to the people.

The lawmaker representing Kwande West State Constituency, Thomas Dugeri, made the declaration in his contribution to a motion on the urgent need to end the killing of Benue State indigenes by armed herdsmen brought on the floor of the House by Peter Uche of Guma 1 State Constituency.

Dugeri noted that it was disheartening that innocent Benue women and children, including the elderly, were killed mercilessly in their own community.

He said the fact of the matter was that “the governor, his deputy and we, lawmakers, have failed the people of Benue State.”

Expressing outrage over the killings in the state, the lawmaker representing Okpokwu state constituency, Anthony Agom, called for the immediate evacuation of all Fulani herdsmen from the state.

He said: “We can no longer live with Fulani herders, they are no more friendly with us, they should vacate our land. We should tell our traditional rulers to pass our position to them.”

Others who spoke in support of the motion, including Peter Ipusu, Shimawa Terna, Godwin Edor, Micheal Audu, among others, urged the governor to ensure strict implementation and enforcement of Benue State Open Grazing Prohibition and Ranches Establishment Law of 2017 to check the influx of armed herders into the state.

The House also requested the governor to declare three days mourning from Wednesday, June 18 to Friday, June 20, 2025, in honour of the innocent people killed by the armed herdsmen.

Earlier, Mr. Uche in his motion of urgent public importance, informed the House of the wanton destruction of property and killings by armed Fulani herdsmen in Yelewata, Guma LGA.

He explained that the marauding herdsmen used sophisticated weapons (including explosives) and fuel to set houses ablaze and completely wiped out some families.

Tinubu’s decision to visit crime scene refreshing —Peter Obi

Similarly, the presidential candidate of Labour Party, LP, in the 2023 election, Peter Obi, has described as refreshing news that President Bola Tinubu has decided to visit Benue State after the massacre of over 200 persons by suspected armed herdsmen.

Obi, who said this in a post on his X handle yesterday, had accused the President of failing to provide leadership at a time of national tragedy for not visiting states where human and national disasters had struck.

The LP standard bearer said: “It was refreshing news on Monday to a bewildered nation learning that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has finally decided to visit the scene of the brutal killings in Benue State.

“For this, I thank him, even as I make a further request that a similar gesture be extended to Niger State, which lost a greater number of human lives in a natural disaster, flood, recently.
“Given the emergency nature of these incidents, prompt visits would have delivered the urgency needed, instead of giving future dates that make it look like a state visit.

“The presence of the President in these devastated and grieving communities will be very reassuring and uplifting.

“Both Benue and Niger states have lost over 200 lives each due to recent tragedies. In Mokwa alone, more than 200 people were confirmed dead, and over 1,000 are still missing, following the floods. “These are not just statistics; they are the lives of Nigerian families torn apart and their communities destroyed.

“The distance from Abuja to these affected areas is not far. Abuja to Makurdi is about 282 km, and Abuja to Mokwa is about 287 km.

“Combined, that’s roughly 1,134 km for a round trip to both locations, still significantly less than the 1,870 km round trip President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa recently made some days ago from Pretoria to Mthatha to personally visit flood victims in his country.

“Less than 100 persons died in Mthatha, and more than 200 died in Mokwa, with over 1,000 still missing.

“If the South African President could do it, we trust that you, as our own President, can do the same for your people.

“Let your visit to Mokwa send a strong message that all Nigerian lives matter and that no community, no matter how rural, is forgotten. Please also consider stepping up security across the country, especially in disaster-prone areas.

“We look forward to seeing not leadership by remote control but proactive leadership that responds not just with words but with compassion and action. A new Nigeria is possible.”

Act decisively on killings in Benue, others, PFN tasks Tinubu

The Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, PFN, also yesterday, called on President Tinubu to take decisive action to end the persistent killings and kidnappings in Benue, Plateau and other parts of the country.

In a statement, PFN President, Bishop Francis Wale Oke, described the situation in Benue State as a national tragedy, urging the federal government to rise to the occasion with urgent and effective intervention.

Bishop Oke stressed the need for the government to reclaim territories allegedly taken over by terrorists and restore them to their rightful indigenous owners. He noted that the continuous attacks on innocent civilians had led to widespread displacement and trauma, especially in Benue State.

“The PFN sympathizes with the governor and people of Benue State over the relentless killings. We are deeply concerned about the alarming state of insecurity in the nation, with Benue being a critical flashpoint that has suffered for too long,” he said.

Faulting the current security architecture, the PFN President said a comprehensive overhaul was urgently needed.

“The current security system has failed us. Killings are taking place across the country, and the carnage has been relentless. What is happening in Benue is not a case of two parties fighting; it is an invasion by illegally armed bandits seeking to displace and dominate indigenous communities,” he stated.

Bishop Oke further condemned the repeated attacks on Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs, camps, describing them as “heinous acts” against vulnerable citizens who should have been under state protection.

“This is not about Benue people killing themselves. These are external invaders committing atrocities. If any state deserves a declaration of emergency, it is Benue,” he added.

While acknowledging President Tinubu’s recent directive for special security forces to move into Benue, Bishop Oke said the action appeared belated and insufficient, given the scale of the crisis.

“It is not enough to visit as a ‘Mourner-in-Chief.’ The President must act with the full weight of his office and protect the lives and land of the Benue people. Treating this as internal conflict is misleading and dangerous,” he warned.

He also extended the PFN’s concerns to Plateau, Taraba, and other states suffering similar attacks, urging the federal government to restore law and order across affected areas.
“The Federal Government owes Nigerians a duty to restore peace and security. We believe President Tinubu has the capacity to handle the situation if he acts boldly and decisively,” Bishop Oke emphasized.

We’re tired of mourning, it’s time to act — Senate

Meanwhile, the Senate said yesterday lawmakers were tired of mourning over the frequent massacre of Nigerians across the country and asked the federal government to urgently address the security crisis in the country.

It said the time had come to act, saying since security was local, communities and their traditional rulers must be part of the solution, if the bloodshed must be nipped in the bud.

Addressing journalists in Abuja, the Chairman, Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Yemi Adaramodu, said the scheduled visit of President Bola Tinubu to Benue State today, as part of renewed efforts to foster peace and address the persistent conflict affecting communities in the state, would indicate the seriousness of government in tackling the security situation in the state.

On the Benue killings and national response to the issue, Senator Adaramodu said: “About the tragic incident in Benue, it was very unfortunate. We sympathize with the victims and families affected. The Senate, in collaboration with the executive, will visit Benue tomorrow (today) with a delegation of senators to commiserate.

“More importantly, we are organizing a national security summit, not just for the military, but for CSOs, media, women, youth, and other critical stakeholders, because enough is enough. We cannot keep going from Plateau to Benue, paying condolence visits.

“We are tired of mourning. The time has come to act. Security is local and locals must be part of the solution. With Mr. President’s support, the Senate and the House of Representatives, have appropriated adequate funds to support the military and security agencies. Together with traditional rulers and communities, we must put a stop to this bloodshed.

“Today’s visit to Benue will signal that the government is serious, both the legislature and executive arms. When we hold the national security summit, we hope to uncover hidden problems and find lasting solutions to the killings of innocent Nigerians, not just in Benue or Plateau, but across the country.”

When asked why yes votes and not electronic voting by the senators to give credence to state of emergency in Rivers State by President Tinubu, the Senate spokesman said the issue was debated in closed-door sessions, with reference to Rule 131, 132, and 134 of the Senate Standing Orders, adding that once a decision was reached in a closed session, it could not be reopened in plenary.