YELEWATA, Nigeria (CHATNEWSTV) — Suspected Fulani herdsmen stormed the village of Yelewata in Nigeria’s central Benue State overnight Friday into Saturday, killing at least 45 people in one of the deadliest assaults this year, according to state officials. Residents said the true death toll could exceed 100.
The attack, which began late Friday, was reportedly carried out in a coordinated manner by three groups of gunmen who entered the village from different directions, opening fire indiscriminately and setting houses ablaze, witnesses said.
“They came from three sides, shooting into homes and burning everything,” said Benjamin Ortser, a resident who escaped with injuries. “Entire families were burned alive.”
Witnesses described scenes of horror as attackers doused doorways with fuel before setting them on fire, trapping residents — many of them displaced from previous violence — inside their homes. Several victims were reportedly shot while trying to flee into the surrounding bush.
“Most of those killed were people who had fled earlier attacks in nearby villages,” said Comfort Agbo, a community leader. “They came to Yelewata thinking it was safe. Now they are gone.”
The governor’s spokesperson confirmed 45 deaths as of Saturday afternoon, but local residents and aid workers on the scene say the toll is far higher, with many bodies yet to be recovered from the charred remains of homes.
“More than 100 people are dead,” said Terhemba Awuna, a volunteer with a local aid group. “We are still counting.”
Rising death toll, deepening conflict
This latest attack is part of a broader cycle of violence plaguing Nigeria’s Middle Belt, where long-running clashes between nomadic Fulani herdsmen and sedentary farming communities have escalated into deadly confrontations over land use and dwindling natural resources.
Climate change, population pressure, and the absence of effective state protection have intensified the crisis in Benue, a flashpoint in Nigeria’s agrarian conflicts.
Just two weeks ago, 25 people were killed in a similar raid in the same region. Amnesty International estimates that over 6,800 people have been killed in Benue State alone over the past two years.
Security forces overwhelmed
Eyewitnesses said police and soldiers stationed nearby were quickly overwhelmed and unable to repel the attackers, who carried out the assault over several hours before fleeing.
“There were some security personnel around, but they were outnumbered and outgunned,” said Ortser. “They couldn’t do anything.”
Authorities have not yet named any suspects, but local officials say investigations are underway.
No group has claimed responsibility, though suspicion immediately fell on armed Fulani militia groups, which have been blamed for similar raids in the past.
Human rights groups and local leaders have called for an urgent federal response to the repeated mass killings in the state.
“This is a humanitarian disaster,” said Ukan Kurugh, a Makurdi-based activist. “We need more than condolences. We need security and justice.”
As the bodies of the victims were prepared for burial on Saturday, many survivors were left homeless, traumatized, and angry at what they described as government inaction.
“How many times will we bury our people before something changes?” said Agbo. “We are tired of mass graves.”
