Yelewata, Benue State looked like any other sleepy rural town in Nigeria’s Middle Belt. But on that June morning, it became a graveyard.
They came before dawn—armed men, faces wrapped in scarves, some in military camouflage. Villagers say they didn’t hear a thing until the gunshots began. I arrived hours after it ended, and the smell of burnt flesh still hung in the air. Over 100 people were killed, most of them locked inside homes that were then set on fire. An entire compound, where women and children once sang and danced, is now ash and silence.
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“We Told Them They Were Coming”
In a small tent serving as a makeshift clinic, Mrs. Terna Ayagwa, a local teacher, wiped tears from her eyes as she spoke.
“We begged the security men to act when we heard the threats. But they said we were panicking over nothing.”
She lost her younger brother and three cousins. Many others are still unaccounted for.
Similar attacks occurred just weeks before in Tyolaha, Ahume, and Aondona communities, where 42 people were murdered in cold blood. In each case, locals allege the attackers are Fulani herders retaliating over land disputes, but what’s becoming clearer is that these conflicts are no longer just about grazing paths.
A Pattern of Genocide?
Residents say this isn’t random violence—it’s systematic.
“They target our food stores, our water sources, our churches. Then they burn our homes. It’s more than land. It’s about erasing us,” said Father Iorver Ukaa, a Catholic priest injured during an attack.
Local leaders point to the state’s 2017 anti-open grazing law, which bans herders from moving cattle freely through farmland, as a flashpoint. However, the federal government’s enforcement remains weak, and military presence sporadic.
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IDP Camps Overflowing, Trauma Deepening
At the Daudu IDP camp, I met 14-year-old Mimi, who watched her mother die during a raid. She now sleeps under a tarpaulin sheet with six other children.
“We have nothing. No food, no school, just fear.”
Over 2 million people are now displaced in Benue alone. Medical supplies are scarce, trauma support is nonexistent, and many fear that with the rainy season approaching, disease outbreaks could add to their suffering.
What Needs to Change
From human rights groups to religious leaders, the message is clear: this is not just a conflict—it’s a humanitarian crisis. Analysts say a long-term solution lies in:
- Supporting local community guards legally and logistically.
- Establishing ranches and ending nomadic grazing practices.
- Strengthening federal enforcement of land use laws.
- Creating dialogue frameworks between herders and farmers.
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The World Cannot Look Away
What’s happening in Benue State is a stain on our collective conscience. And while Abuja debates policies and politicians tweet condolences, children are being buried in shallow graves. Entire communities are disappearing.
This is not just about land. It’s about lives. And they’re being lost every day the world stays silent.
Picture Credit: Facebook
