The death toll from an attack by gunmen in north-central Nigeria’s Benue state has reached 150, with dozens of bodies still missing as survivors desperately search for their family members, according to reports.
The initial death toll was reported as 100 on Saturday by Amnesty International Nigeria, but rose as more bodies were found.
The assault occurred late on Friday night when assailants stormed towards Yelewata, a community in the Guma area of the state situated 120 kilometres (75 miles) away from the state capital of Makurdi, and opened fire on sleeping villagers and set homes ablaze.
Many victims were sheltering in a local market, having fled violence in other parts of the state. The assailants also burned the local food stores that contained a year’s harvest.
While nobody claimed responsibility for the attack, the farmers accused the herders. Benue’s Deputy Governor, Sam Ode, also suspects herders as the perpetrators of this violent assault.
Similar violent incidents frequently occur across northern Nigeria due to ongoing disputes between cattle herders and agricultural communities competing for scarce land and water resources.
Farmers blame the herders, primarily of the Fulani ethnic group, for allowing their cattle to feed on cultivated farmland, destroying crops.
In response, the herders claim that these territories are grazing routes legally recognised through a legislation enacted in 1965, five years following Nigeria’s independence from colonial rule.
This protracted standing conflict has intensified and become increasingly lethal in recent years, with government officials and experts cautioning that growing numbers of herders are becoming armed and militarised.
Attacks of a similar kind had occurred last month in the Gwer West area of Benue, claiming the lives of at least 20 people.
President Bola Tinubu called the attack “senseless bloodletting” and plans to visit the community on Wednesday, and directed the security agencies to arrest and prosecute those responsible. “Enough is enough! I have directed the security agencies to act decisively, arrest perpetrators of these evil acts on all sides of the conflict, and prosecute them,” he wrote on X.
He urged Political and community leaders in Benue State must act responsibly and avoid inflammatory utterances that could further increase tensions and killings.
“This is the time for Governor Alia to act as a statesman and immediately lead the process of dialogue and reconciliation that will bring peace to Benue,” he said, highlighting, “Our people must live in peace, and it is possible when leaders across the divides work together in harmony and differences are identified and addressed with fairness, openness and justice.”
Following the attack, President Bola Tinubu faced backlash for his initial silence on the massacre, as netizens expressed outrage over his repeated failure to address the escalating violence across the country and called for his resignation.
Critics on social media platforms like X highlighted that the president issued a condolence message to India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi within 24 hours of a plane crash but took over 48 hours to address the Benue killings, accusing the president of prioritising international diplomacy over domestic crises.
Calling the president, “a certificate forger in chief and not a commander in chief!,” Activist, Aisha Yesufu said, “Over 200 of your citizens are killed and you are blaming community leaders for their utterances? No legitimate President will do that! What an utter shame!”
Clashes between nomadic herders and settled farmers are common in central Nigeria, partly fuelled by competition over land.
But the disputes have reached crisis levels in recent years, killing thousands of people and displacing many thousands more from their homes, leaving them in ruins after attacks.
According to an investigation by Amnesty International Nigeria, in the two years since the current government has been in power, at least 10,217 people have been killed in attacks by gunmen in Benue, Edo, Katsina, Kebbi, Plateau, Sokoto, and Zamfara state.
Benue state accounts for the highest death toll of 6,896, followed by Plateau state, where 2,630 people were killed.
