Devastating Pre-Dawn Attack Claims Over 100 Lives in Benue State, Nigeria

 June 15, 2025 – A horrific pre-dawn attack on a community in Benue State, north-central Nigeria, has resulted in the deaths of at least 102 people, according to local officials and witnesses. The massacre, which occurred between late Friday night and the early hours of Saturday in the Yelewata community of the Guma Local Government Area, is one of the deadliest in recent months amidst the ongoing violence plaguing Nigeria's Middle Belt region.

Armed men, suspected to be criminal herders, stormed the village, trapping many families inside their homes before setting the dwellings ablaze. Amnesty International Nigeria, which has been documenting the escalating attacks in Benue State, reported on Saturday that "many families were locked up and burnt inside their bedrooms. So many bodies were burnt beyond recognition." The human rights group also stated that hundreds of people were injured and are without adequate medical care, while dozens of others remain missing.

Dennis Denen Gbongbon, president of the Association of United Farmers Benue Valley, grimly confirmed the casualty figures, stating, "We have lost no fewer than 102 people, and over 100 others are in critical condition at the Benue State University Teaching Hospital (BSUTH) in Makurdi." He added that medical personnel have made an urgent appeal for blood donations to save the lives of the injured. One survivor recounted the horror, telling Anadolu Agency, "The armed men poured petrol before setting fire to our shelters and burnt our people in their sleep."

The attack, which reportedly lasted for more than two hours, saw widespread destruction, with homes razed to the ground. Joseph Har, special adviser to the Benue State governor on security and internal affairs, confirmed the incident, stating that authorities are still assessing the full scale of the assault. Benue State Police spokesperson Udeme Edet confirmed the attack in Yelewata but did not immediately specify the number of fatalities.

Benue State, often referred to as Nigeria's "food basket," lies in the country's Middle Belt, a volatile region where the predominantly Muslim North meets the largely Christian South. The area has been a flashpoint for long-running conflicts, primarily between nomadic herders (often ethnic Fulani, who are mostly Muslim) and settled farming communities (many of whom are Christian). These clashes are frequently over access to land, grazing routes, and water resources, often exacerbated by ethnic and religious tensions.

Amnesty International Nigeria has urged the Nigerian authorities to "immediately end the almost daily bloodshed in Benue State and bring the actual perpetrators to justice," noting that the government's "failure to stem the violence is costing people's lives and livelihoods." The attack has prompted widespread condemnation, with Pope Leo XIV, in his Sunday Angelus prayer, expressing sorrow for the "terrible massacre" in Benue State and praying for "security, justice, and peace" in Nigeria.

The latest assault underscores the severe security challenges facing Nigeria, particularly in its central and northern regions, where armed attacks, kidnappings, and communal violence have claimed thousands of lives and displaced millions in recent years.