In the early hours of Friday night into Saturday in Benue state, gunmen believed to be armed herders attacked Yelewata village in Guma LGA, killing at least 100 people, injuring dozens, and burning homes with some victims reportedly locked inside and burnt alive. Hundreds remain missing, and many injured lack access to timely medical care. First responders, including police, soldiers, and youth vigilantes, engaged the attackers at great cost around five security personnel lost their lives in the process.
Barely two weeks prior, at least 20 people died in an attack on Aondona village, Gwer West, with police reporting four confirmed deaths, while local sources place the toll around 20.
Historical Echoes
Benue isn’t new to such bloodshed. In 2016, the Agatu Massacre claimed 300–500 lives, displacing over 7,000 people. In 2021, the Odugbeho massacre in Agatu resulted in 40 deaths. Around Christmas 2024, 47 Christians were killed in Anwase, and eight churches burned. And earlier this year, coordinated attacks in Gwer West and Apa killed upwards of 20 people.
A Community Shattered
The impact is catastrophic. Over 1.5 million people have been displaced statewide since 2010, with camps in Daudu, Abagena, and Gbajimba overflowing. Surviving families suffer physical and psychological trauma with many still in disbelief, some unable to bury their dead amidst the chaos. Rural farmers face every-day terror; their fields are abandoned, livestock stolen, and markets empty. Schools and clinics lie in ruins, pushing educational and health services to breaking point.
Food insecurity looms large. A report by the House of Representatives’ Terseer Ugbor estimates that 40 percent of farmlands are destroyed or under tilled due to ferocious attacks, with crop and livestock losses hitting national food supply chains.
Root Causes: Old Fault Lines, New Flashpoints
Underlying causes are long-standing yet intensifying:
- Herders/Farmers Conflict: Competition over land, water, and grazing has escalated, especially as more Fulani herders move into fertile Middle Belt regions.
- Climate Pressures: Desertification in northern Nigeria has shrunk grazing paths, forcing herders southward, heightening tensions.
- Proliferation of Arms: Small arms have made these disputes more lethal. Victims recount charred homes and automatic weapons unleashed with abandon.
- Weak Law Enforcement: Although Benue passed anti‑open grazing legislation in 2017, enforcement has been partial at best.
- Political and Ethnic Manipulation: Some analysts say politicians exploit ethnic voices, inflaming an already volatile situation.
Government Response: Words, Troops, Whirlwinds
Governor Hyacinth Alia dispatched delegations to console grieving families in Yelewata and Aondona, and reaffirmed efforts under Operation Whirl‑Stroke to intensify security measures. The Senate has urged greater federal troop deployment and stricter enforcement of Benue’s 2017 anti-open‑grazing law, warning that insecurity could irreparably damage agriculture.
President Tinubu, visibly outraged, ordered a national manhunt for the planners of these massacres. He condemned the violence as “very depressing” and requested security agencies to arrest those responsible, while reminding community institutions to foster unity. His planned visit on Wednesday to Benue underscores the urgency, but the timing remains crucial as residents wait for meaningful action.
Toward Real Remedies
Experts and lawmakers agree on multi‑sector action:
- Strict enforcement of ranches and anti‑grazing laws, with federal support.
- Coordinated security efforts: federal, state, and local forces must work together.
- Early‑warning intelligence networks embedded within communities.
- Disarmament programs targeting armed herders and militias, supported by rehabilitation and reintegration schemes.
- Climate‑adaptation initiatives to reduce migration pressures.
- Peace-building dialogues: traditional rulers, farmers, and herders engaging in trust-based mediation.
Aid and Reconstruction
Benue’s IDPs rely heavily on NGOs (UNHCR, Red Cross, MSF) for basic food, shelter, and healthcare. State funding around ₦5 billion has been allocated for rebuilding, but experts warn that thousands of households still lack support. President Tinubu has tasked the National Emergency Management Agency {NEMA} and the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs to distribute relief, but coordination between levels of government remains poor.
The Road Ahead
President Tinubu’s visit may offer solace, but has sparks of hope. The fight against Benue’s bloodshed won’t be won with speeches alone. What’s needed is sustained action: more troops deployed intelligently, laws enforced fully, arms disarmed, farmland reclaimed, and peace nurtured. Only then can condolences evolve into tangible change.
As President Tinubu reassures Benue’s embattled citizens, the real test will be whether his visit leads to deeper interventions or simply recounts a familiar ritual of grief and echoing grief.
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Tags: #Insurgency #Crisis #Massacre
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