Benue State Governor, Hyacinth Alia, has confirmed the death of 59 people following a deadly attack on Yelwata, a community situated on the border between Benue and Nasarawa States. The incident, reportedly carried out by suspected herdsmen, occurred late Friday night.
While briefing journalists on Sunday at the Government House in Makurdi, Governor Alia stated that the casualty figure was established through a joint verification by security personnel and the families of the victims.
Among the deceased, he revealed, were members of the Nigerian military and civil defence corps who died while attempting to repel the invaders. “The figure is based on physical headcounts conducted by the security agencies in collaboration with families of the deceased,” Alia said.
The governor also acknowledged Nasarawa State Governor Abdullahi Sule for providing timely intelligence that helped clarify aspects of the attack. He mentioned that one casualty was also recorded on the Nasarawa side of the border.
Alia made these remarks while receiving the findings of a panel probing militia activities in the Sankera axis of the state. He pledged to forward the report to the relevant authorities and investigate all individuals named, in a bid to restore calm in the region.
Global condemnation of the attack quickly followed. Pope Leo XIV, in his Sunday Angelus message from the Vatican, strongly denounced the Yelwata killings, describing the violence as a “terrible massacre” in which mostly displaced civilians were killed with “extreme cruelty.”
He called for “security, justice, and peace” in Nigeria and offered prayers specifically for the Christian communities in Benue State, whom he referred to as “relentless victims of violence.”
In the wake of the violence, angry residents took to the streets in protest. Demonstrators gathered at the Wurukum food basket roundabout in Makurdi from as early as 8 a.m. on Sunday, demanding decisive action over the attack. Among them was prominent social media personality Martin Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, who joined in expressing outrage and solidarity.
Reacting to the incident, the Nigerian presidency announced fresh security directives from President Bola Tinubu. According to presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga, “President Tinubu has instructed security chiefs to fully implement his earlier orders to restore peace in Benue.”
He further disclosed that “intelligence officials, police units, and military teams have already been deployed to the state to coordinate efforts on the ground and return order to the affected communities.”
