About 200 people—comprising internally displaced persons (IDPs), women, children, and five security personnel—have been massacred in a coordinated assault by suspected herder militias on the Yelewata and Daudu communities in Guma Local Government Area of Benue State. The attack occurred amidst reports of prior warnings from Nasarawa regarding an impending large-scale invasion.
Community leader and former SUBEB official Matthew Mnyan described the violence as a drive-by two-pronged attack: “It started last night at about 11 pm when Fulani terrorists came from the Western part … Suddenly, another group came from the eastern part… They killed our people, poured petrol on the stalls in the market, and burnt them.”
Eyewitnesses in Benue recounted horror as militants overwhelmed police and militia volunteers, then turned on defenceless IDPs sheltering in market stalls. Entire families—including children—were killed and homes torched. “They killed and burned people in the houses … We had a family of 15 … men with their two wives, children … burnt,” Mnyan said.
During the chaos, the militia also struck Daudu, where resistance from youths and security personnel led to the deaths of soldiers and police. A military source confirmed the loss of two military personnel, while DSP Udeme Edet of the Benue State Police said, “Some individuals lost their lives and others sustained injuries” amid law enforcement’s engagement with the attackers.
AUFBV President Chief Dennis Gbongbon noted that 85 per cent of the victims were IDPs who had fled previous violence: “Suspected Lakurawa bandits and herders killed over 62 internally displaced persons … houses were burnt with families beyond imagination.” Rescue teams have recovered at least 46 injured, and the death toll is expected to rise as identification efforts continue.
Although officials denied precise casualty counts, the Special Adviser on Internal Security to the Benue governor, Chief Joseph Har, confirmed separate attacks in Yelewata and Daudu.
The assailants reportedly amassed in large numbers, estimated at 300, prior to the attack. Mnyan linked the violence to ongoing land conflicts: “They only want to grab the land.”
The police have launched a manhunt, with both security forces and local vigilantes working to contain the fallout and prevent further loss of life. However, some residents expressed outrage at the apparent lack of timely military intervention during the crackdown.
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