Benue Community Devastated as Over 100 Massacred
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.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Gulf Today
16-07-2025
- Gulf Today
Nigerian troops kill 150 'bandits' in ambush, air strikes
Nigerian soldiers killed at least 150 members of a criminal gang in an ambush in northwestern Kebbi state this week, a local official said Thursday. For years, heavily armed kidnapping gangs known as "bandits" have been intensifying attacks in the northwest and central areas of the west African country with impunity, killing thousands and abducting people for ransom. Troops laid ambush on a massive convoy of bandits as they rode through villages in Kebbi state's Danko-Wasagu district on Wednesday, leading to a two-hour gunfight, said Husaini Bena, the political administrator of Danko-Wasagu. The heavily armed bandits, riding on around 350 motorcycles, were heading to their base in neighbouring Niger state when they were ambushed by the troops, Bena said. "More than 150 bandits were killed in the military operation which involved ground troops and fighter jets," he said. The military forced the bandits to retreat, but jets "bombed them as they fled", he added. Nigeria's air force has come under scrutiny in the past for bombing civilians in its campaigns against bandits and jihadists, as the country slogs through conflicts across multiple fronts. A Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) military escort accompanying an excavator digging trenches passes through a checkpoint at the entrance to Monguno, Borno state, Nigeria. AFP AbdulRahman Zagga, director of security in the Kebbi state governor's office, confirmed the incident in a statement. He said troops fought around 400 bandits, "resulting in the elimination of many" of them, without giving a toll. Both sides trade losses Zagga said that bandits were suspected to be the same group that recently attacked a military base in Niger state, killing 20 soldiers. Troops continued to comb the countryside on Thursday. Nigeria's banditry crisis has evolved from clashes between Fulani herders and farmers over resources into a broader conflict fuelled by arms trafficking, with gangs taking advantage of security vacuums in rural swaths of Nigeria that have long had little formal state presence. The gangs launch attacks from their camps in a vast forest which straddles several northwestern and central states. Security analysts have noted increasing cooperation between the criminal gangs, who are motivated primarily by financial gains in the impoverished country, and jihadists, who are waging a 16-year-old insurrection in the northeast. As the insurgent campaign by Boko Haram and rival Daesh West Africa Province drags on, the Nigerian military said Thursday it killed 24 jihadists in northeastern Borno state following days-long military operations. But gains against bandits and jihadists are repeatedly offset by the killing of troops and civilians. Last month, authorities in Zamfara state in the northwest said a government-supported militia killed 100 bandits in a raid on their stronghold. On Wednesday, Katsina state authorities claimed at least 30 bandits were killed in air strikes. But over the weekend, bandits killed more than 40 vigilantes who had mobilised to fight them, in an ambush in central Plateau state. Agence France-Presse
Arabian Post
16-06-2025
- 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.
Zawya
20-05-2025
- Zawya
Mali: 22 Men Found Dead After Arrest by Soldiers
Mali 's government should credibly and independently investigate the apparent extrajudicial executions of at least 22 men taken in military custody on May 12, 2025, in the town of Diafarabé, central Mali, Human Rights Watch said today. Residents who saw the bodies three days later said the victims were in two shallow mass graves with their throats slit. On May 16, the chief of staff of the Malian armed forces announced a gendarmerie investigation into the disappearance of civilians in Diafarabé and that a military team was deployed to the town to collect testimonies and organize searches. A military investigation of an alleged massacre by soldiers raises grave concerns that the inquiry will not be independent or impartial, Human Rights Watch said. 'The killing of at least 22 men in military custody puts a burden on the Malian authorities to demonstrate that its investigation is credible and to make public its findings,' said Ilaria Allegrozzi, senior Sahel researcher at Human Rights Watch. 'Authorities should fully and fairly prosecute all those responsible and promptly provide compensation to the victims' families.' Between May 13 and 18, Human Rights Watch interviewed by phone five people who witnessed the arrests, one man who was arrested and survived the executions, and five others with knowledge of the incident. Local sources gave Human Rights Watch a list of 22 victims, all ethnic Fulani men between the ages of 32 and 67. The witnesses also said five additional men were arrested, including at least one ethnic Tamasheq, but their names and ages were not known. Witnesses told Human Rights Watch that the arrests took place between 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. during a military operation in Diafarabé, along the Niger River in Mali's central Mopti region. They said that Malian soldiers took in custody at least 22 Fulani men who were trading at the local cattle market and took them to the river. There, soldiers apprehended at least five other men, loaded them onto a canoe, and took them across the river. 'Armed soldiers wearing Malian military uniforms entered the market on foot and started arresting Fulani traders,' a 53-year-old trader said. 'They tied their hands behind their back before they took them to the river and blindfolded them.' Witnesses said at around 2 p.m. on the same day, they saw the soldiers return to town without the arrested men. The following day, women staged a protest in front of the Diafarabé military base calling on soldiers to provide information about their relatives, without success. Additional residents joined the protest, which continued until May 15, when the military agreed to escort a delegation of approximately 19 people from Diafarabé to the site across the Niger river where the arrested men were taken. 'We found about 22 bodies in two poorly dug mass graves,' said a man whose father was among those killed and went to the location of the killings with soldiers. 'All the men had their throats slashed, some appeared almost decapitated. It was so horrible that even a military commander who was accompanying us had to sit down not to faint.' The bodies were exhumed and reburied in the two mass graves at the execution site. A man who was detained and escaped the executions said: 'I was not blindfolded well.… [S]oldiers used our scarves to cover our eyes, but I could see what was going on.' He said that after they crossed the river, the soldiers took them to a place located near the Diafarabé cemetery and ordered them to sit down. 'Then, they took people in small groups of two or three and slit their throats.… I could hear the loud screaming.' He said that when soldiers were coming for him, he ran away. 'As I stood, the scarf covering my eyes fell and I ran as fast as I could … [S]oldiers shot at me three times, but I wasn't hit.… [A] soldier chased me, but I hid … I heard soldiers in the back telling the one chasing me, 'If you don't catch him, we will kill you.'' The survivor said that he waited until soldiers left to cross the river again. International media also reported on the Diafarabé killings. On May 16, Human Rights Watch contacted the Malian authorities to share its findings on the events in Diafarabé and seek a response. At the time of publication, the Malian authorities had not responded. The massacre occurred amid the security and humanitarian crisis that Mali has been grappling with since 2012, when Islamist armed groups linked to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State in the Sahel began carrying out major attacks. These armed groups, which have largely recruited from the Fulani community, have attacked civilians as well as government security forces throughout Mali. The conflict has resulted in the deaths of thousands of civilians and forcibly displaced over 350,000 more.' Witnesses in Diafarabé said they believe the soldiers targeted Fulani men, whom they accused of collaborating with the Islamist fighters. The Al-Qaeda-linked Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wa al-Muslimeen, JNIM) is present in the Mopti region where it frequently carries out attacks against the security forces and allied militias. Human Rights Watch has extensively documented serious abuses by the Malian security forces during counterinsurgency operations across Mali, including mass killings, enforced disappearances of civilians, and unlawful drone strikes. All parties to Mali's armed conflict are bound by international humanitarian law, notably Common Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions of 1949 and customary laws of war. Common Article 3 prohibits violence against anyone in custody, 'in particular murder of all kinds.' Individuals who commit serious violations of the laws of war with criminal intent, that is, intentionally or recklessly, may be prosecuted for war crimes. Commanders may be liable for war crimes as a matter of command responsibility if they knew or should have known about abuses by forces under their control but did not stop or punish them. 'The commander of the Diafarabé military base should be immediately suspended pending the outcome of a thorough investigation,' Allegrozzi said. 'The authorities need to take all necessary measures to ensure that survivors and witnesses to this incident are protected.' Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Human Rights Watch (HRW).
