Suspected Herdsmen Kill Chief on Farmland In Ogun State
Fresh details have emerged following the deadly pre-dawn assault on Yelewata, a community in Guma Local Government Area of Benue State, where scores were killed and properties destroyed in what residents described as a coordinated and brutal invasion by suspected armed herdsmen.
Eyewitness accounts indicate that the assailants struck early Saturday morning, splitting into three tactical units to simultaneously penetrate the town from different flanks. The attackers reportedly advanced through Tse Ate—a track leading to Agugu Igbaakombo—and a second path behind the community’s market square.
Residents say the armed men opened fire intermittently in a calculated attempt to cause panic and disorganise local defence efforts. Despite resistance from youths and security personnel, the defenders were quickly overwhelmed due to the attackers’ superior numbers and strategic positioning.
According to a statement by Comrade Joseph Apahar Joo, Media and Publicity Officer for the Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) Unit in Benue State, the third wave of attackers infiltrated the community from the rear, targeting shops where many residents had taken refuge for the night.
“Those who attempted to flee were chased down and killed,” Joo reported. “Others were trapped indoors as the assailants doused entrances with fuel before setting the buildings on fire.”
Several shops, homes, and food storage facilities were razed during the assault, with numerous victims reportedly burnt alive amid their belongings.
Yelewata, a community known for its early grassroots resistance against violent incursions in the region, is said to have never experienced devastation on this scale. Local leaders now warn that the attack could deepen the displacement crisis already plaguing the state.
Authorities have yet to release an official casualty figure, but calls are growing for urgent federal intervention to forestall further bloodshed.
