By Atoyebi Nike
An early morning attack by suspected herdsmen on Monday left several people dead and others critically injured in the Yelwata area of Benue State.
According to local sources, the assailants opened fire on farmers, killing three and leaving three more in critical condition with gunshot wounds. The incident triggered a protest by women in the community, who accused soldiers of failing to respond promptly to the assault. In anger, the protesters blocked the federal highway linking Benue and Nasarawa states, demanding that troops be withdrawn from their area.
Former government official Matthew Mnyam confirmed the killings in a phone interview, noting that efforts by community leaders to persuade the women to end their demonstration were unsuccessful.
“The commissioner of police is there at the moment trying to handle the matter, while I have sent a message to the secretary of Guma Local Government Area to reach out to the chairman for intervention,” Mnyam said.
Guma LGA chairman Maurice Orwough also confirmed the attack and appealed for calm, urging all parties to work towards peace.
Yelwata has been a hotspot for repeated violence. In June, a similar attack by suspected herdsmen killed dozens and displaced more than 3,000 residents. Official figures put the death toll at 59, but civil rights groups claimed up to 200 people were killed. The killings drew condemnation from Pope Leo XIV, who described the massacre as “terrible” and called for an immediate end to the violence.
