Benue killings: Timeline of attacks wey don lead to mass deaths for central Nigeria in di last 60 days

BBC News

5 hours ago

Tori of di latest attack for Benue state Nigeria wey lead to di deaths of over 100 pipo for Yelwata community for north central Nigeria dey trend for social media.
Dis recent attacks, according to di National Emergency Management Agency, Nema, bin happun on Saturday, 14 June, 2025.
Nema say dia early investigation show say more dan 100 pipo kpai for di attack including two sojas and one officer of di Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).
"Dozens of pipo sustain injuries, and 46 individuals bin dey rushed to hospitals. Sadly, 20 of dem later die for hospital sake of di injuries wey dem sustain," di Nema statement read.
But dis Yelwata killings no be di first in recent times, na di latest of di horrible attacks on communities for central Nigeria wey don claim di lives of hundreds of pipo in di last two months.
Wen pipo relax wit hope say evritin don calm down, di jaguda pipo go waka go anoda community wey di villagers no expect.
Men, children and women too don share di horrible experiences of rape from di herders hand be victims.
Nigeria president Bola Tinubu don finally make promise say im go clear im schedule to visit Benue state on Wednesday 17 June 2025.
Currently, Security oga dem move to end Benue killings as Tinubu prepare to enta Yelwata
Earlier, Police tok-tok pesin for Plateau State, Fred Alabo for one interview wit BBC Pidgin tok say dem go do evritin legally possible to make dis jaguda pipo face di law.
Dis na a timeline of di attacks fpr both Benue and Plateau State in recent weeks wey don kill hundreds and how e happun.
Timeline of attacks and killings for central Nigeria
March 2025 - For ending of March, about 52 pipo bin kpai for inside one attack for Bokkos local goment area of Plateau State.
Di development bin make di National Security Adviser (NSA) Nuhu Ribadu to visit di area and tok say enough don dey enough for di killers, and e go make sure say di killings stop.
Wit all di ginger wey dat tori bin make di killings still dey go on.
April 2025 - Anoda attack bin happun for Bassa local goment area of Plateau State, north-central Nigeria, according to wetin residents bin tell BBC Pidgin.
Di attack bin happun for di early hours of Monday, 14 April between 1:00am and 2:00am.
Yakubu Ventim wey be tori pesin for di state bin tok say di chairman of Bassa local goment area, Joshua Sunday Riti, bin carry some TV tori pipo wit plenty security to di community wia di attack bin happun.
"Na about 38 to 50 pipo dem bin massacre for di village dis morning.
"Dem ambush di community and kill mostly women and children," oga Ventim tok.
May 2025 - At least 10 pipo die sake of kasala between herders and farmers for Riyom Local Goment Area of Plateau State.
Tori pipo Channels Television bin report say from wetin start from farm destruction, cattle rustling, and attacks on livestock, pipo from both Fulani and Berom communities clash.
Dem add say statement from Operation Safe Haven, confam say di insecurity for di council area bin start on Monday, May 12, 2025, wen suspected youths bin slaughter and rustle cattle wey bin enta dia farms for Dayan village, Riyom Local Goment Area.
To take revenge, di herders attack Danchindo village on di evening of May 13, dem kill four people befor dem run as dem hear say police dey come.
On May 14, di villagers bin kill 26 cows as dem dey para say dem kill dia pipo.
Di herders later comeback again dat day, dem attack one settlement near Wereng Kam community, wia dem kill six locals.
June 2025 - E be like say di month of June record di highest killings in recent times for Benue state.
Di number of pipo wey die from di attacks on Gwer West and Apa local government areas of Benue State pass 50.
Eyewitnesses bin also tok say some pipo still dey miss sake of say out of fear and to run for dia lives some pipo jump inside well.
Suspected herdsmen bin attack residents of Tse-Antswam for Naka town, wey be headquarters of Gwer West LGA and Edikwu Ankpali for Apa local goment area of Benue state.
According to Nema first report on Monday 16 June, 2025 na 100 pipo die, and 6,500 displaced for Benue attack.
But locals and oda tori pipo tok say di number dey around 200.
Ova di years, kasala between herders and farmers na regular tin for many parts of northern Nigeria including Plateau and Benue states.
In reality, na di whole kontri dey feel di heat as e dey disturb farming and cause insecurity wey dey affect local food production and farm produce.
Residents for northern Nigeria dey also face issues of banditry and oda criminalities.
Who dey carry out dis attacks?
Recently, di Govnor of Plateau State, Caleb Mutfwang, tok say dis regular attacks wey dey happun for di state don pass herdsmen and farmers fight and add say wetin dey happun now na terrorist attacks and "genocide".
Mutfwang tok dis one for interview wit BBC as e lament say di killings don too much despite all di efforts wey di state goment dey do to make sure say peace dey.
"I dey tell you for all honesty say I no fit find any explanation wey pass say dis na genocide wey terrorists dey sponsor. Di question na who be di pipo wey dey behind di organisers of dis terrorism? Dis na wetin di security agencies need to help us to reveal," di govnor tok
"As I dey tok to you, e no dey less dan 64 communities wey don dey taken ova by bandits for Plateau between Bokkos, Barkin Ladi, and Riyom local goments. Dem don take di communities ova, rename dem, and pipo dey live dia comfortably on top lands wey dem pursue pipo comot and occupy."
Also Benue State Govnor Hyacinth Alia tell tori pipo Arise TV for live interview on Tuesday 17 June say di recent attacks for Benue na acts of terrorism, as e don go beyond farmer-herder clashes
"Of late, wetin we experience and wetin we see dey see dey appalling. E strong well-well, way beyond farmer-herder crisis. Di attacks na by bandits and terrorists." im tok.
Youths of Benue State do we no go gree waka on Sunday for di state sake of di killings wey dey too much.
''We don taya, we dey helpless, we don become weak, we dey broken, we dey powerless becos goment no dey help us''.
Di protest come less dan 24 hours afta suspected herders enta Yelwata community in di early hours of Saturday. Dem begin kill pipo and burn houses.
Di number of pipo wey don die from di attacks wey just hapun for Yelwata community for Benue state fit still go up as Nema say di current figures still dey inconsistent sake of di volatile security situation and limited access to di affected areas.
As e be now, more dan 6,527 pipo don run comot for dia house for Yelwata and dem dey take shelter for Internally Displaced People Camps.
Dis include "1,768 females; 759 males; 657 children under 18 years; 1,870 adults above 18; 252 breast feeding mothers; 82 pregnant women; and 91 elderly persons".
According to Nema, hospitals for Makurdi dey call for urgent blood donations for di pipo wey injure for di attack, and also for humanitarian support for di pipo wey dey IDP camps.