According to a report by The Nation, survivors of a brutal assault on Yelewata community in Guma Local Government Area of Benue State have recounted scenes of terror that claimed dozens of lives and reduced homes to ashes. Residents fled as armed assailants opened fire across the village and set fire to compounds. The attack, which took place during the early hours of a rainy evening, left the area strewn with charred debris and shattered lives.
One of the survivors, Michael Ajah, described losing at least twenty members of his extended family in the onslaught believed to have been carried out by suspected herdsmen. He spoke of returning to a landscape transformed by flames, where the small store he used to pack and sell goods lay in ruins alongside burnt clothing and supplies. Ajah’s account underlines the scale of destruction suffered by those who called Yelewata home.
Ajah explained that the assault began shortly after nightfall when torrential rain had driven many residents indoors. He had sought shelter in his room when gunshots erupted at around 10:20 p.m. According to his description, attackers surrounded the building before setting it alight. He managed to slip away amid the chaos, but close relatives, including his father and brother, were trapped inside.
Medical teams dispatched to the scene reported recovering the bodies of at least thirty individuals, some of whom had been burnt beyond recognition. Scores of others sustained gunshot wounds and burns requiring urgent treatment. Local health facilities have been overwhelmed by the influx of injured survivors, prompting calls for additional medical support.
Local authorities have condemned the attack and pledged a thorough investigation. Security forces have been deployed to patrol the surrounding areas in an effort to prevent further bloodshed. Community leaders have called for dialogue between farmers and herders to address long-standing tensions over grazing routes and land use in the region.
He said: “On that very day, rain started in the evening. So we entered. I slept there. So, I was sleeping. Around 10.20, we heard gunshots at the back there. So, before we could notice that something has happened, fulani men, they entered this place.
“They were speaking and I was inside the room and I heard them clearly, not somebody told me. I was inside the room there and they surrounded that room. I escaped narrowly. My brother was burnt in this house. Some escaped. My dad was burnt in this house.
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