A heart-wrenching tragedy has emerged from Yelwata community in Guma Local Government Area of Benue State, where a suspected Fulani militia attack on Saturday night left over 200 people dead and scores wounded, plunging the state into grief and fear.
Among the survivors is Michael Ajah, a resident of Yelwata who, in a deeply emotional video, recounted the devastating loss of 20 members of his immediate family in the brutal raid.
Ajah’s narration has shocked Nigerians, offering a grim window into the scale and savagery of the assault.
“My family members died in this house—11 of them—and some died in the other store—8 of them. My whole family members that died on that very day were 20,” Ajah said, visibly shaken.
Ajah noted that his family members were killed inside their home, while the assailants simultaneously razed shops, food stores, and residential buildings. “Those stores that were burnt are my shops. My house is up there and it was also burnt,” he added, pointing to the ruins.
Clad in a single piece of clothing, Ajah said that was all he had left after the attack.
“They burned our clothes, they burned our food. We only came out with what we wore that night,” he said. “And I am standing here, this is what I have left,” he said, showing the torn shirt he wore during the interview.
Recounting the events of the night, Ajah said the attack began shortly after 10 p.m. on Saturday, June 14, amid rainfall.
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“Rain had started, so I entered and was sleeping. But around 10:20 p.m., I heard gunshots from the back. Before we could understand what was happening, Fulani men entered,” he recalled.
When asked how he identified the attackers as Fulani herdsmen, Ajah replied:
“They were speaking the Fulani language, and I was hearing them clearly. Not that somebody told me—I heard them myself. I was inside the room when they surrounded us.”
Widespread Destruction and National Mourning
The Yelwata massacre has sent shockwaves across Nigeria, with images of burned homes, lifeless bodies, and wailing survivors flooding social media. Community leaders estimate that over 200 people were killed, making it one of the deadliest attacks in Benue in recent years.
Governor Hyacinth Alia has condemned the killings and called on the federal government to deploy additional security personnel to the area. Humanitarian organizations and local officials are working to provide emergency relief to displaced families and injured survivors.
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National Outcry and Renewed Calls for Action
The massacre has reignited national debate over the long-running farmer-herder crisis, a conflict that has claimed thousands of lives, particularly in Nigeria’s Middle Belt region. Civil society groups and human rights organizations are calling for an independent investigation and immediate deployment of security forces to protect vulnerable communities.
Speaking to reporters, conflict resolution expert Dr. Aisha Uduak said the frequency and brutality of such attacks reflect a failure in national intelligence and rural protection strategy.
“We cannot continue to mourn in cycles. The Yelwata attack is not just a security failure—it is a humanitarian catastrophe,” she said.
Survivors Left with Nothing
As the death toll continues to rise and survivors try to piece their lives back together, stories like Michael Ajah’s highlight the immense personal and collective losses suffered by affected communities. Displaced, traumatized, and destitute, many survivors now rely on the goodwill of humanitarian agencies for food, shelter, and hope.
Ajah, standing amidst the ashes of what used to be his home, summed up his ordeal with a chilling clarity:
“They didn’t just kill my family—they destroyed everything I had.”
Federal authorities are yet to announce arrests or major security deployments, but the nation watches anxiously for justice, accountability, and most urgently—protection.