By Ayomide Otitoju
Benue State Governor Hyacinth Alia on Sunday confirmed the deaths of 59 people in Yelwata following an attack by suspected herdsmen from neighbouring Nasarawa State.
Speaking at a press briefing at the Government House in Makurdi, Alia said the casualty figure was determined through physical headcounts carried out by security agencies in collaboration with affected families. Among the victims, he noted, were military and civil defence personnel who had attempted to repel the attackers.
Alia commended Nasarawa State Governor Abdullahi Sule for sharing intelligence that aided in understanding the scope of the assault, which also left one woman dead on the Nasarawa side of the border.
The governor made the disclosures while receiving a report from the panel of inquiry investigating militia activities in the Sankera axis of the state. He vowed to act on the report and bring those responsible to justice in a bid to restore peace in the troubled region.
The attack, which occurred late Friday night, targeted Yelwata, a border town between Benue and Nasarawa states. The violence has drawn widespread condemnation, including from global religious leaders.
Pope Leo XIV, during his remarks at the Sunday Angelus prayer at the Vatican, described the massacre as “terrible” and condemned the killings of mostly displaced civilians as acts of “extreme cruelty.” The pontiff offered prayers for “security, justice, and peace” in Nigeria and extended special intercession to rural Christian communities in Benue, calling them “relentless victims of violence.”
In Makurdi, outrage over the killings led to public demonstrations as hundreds of angry youths took to the streets on Sunday, converging on the Wurukum food basket roundabout to protest the incident. The protesters were later joined by social media influencer Martin Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, who called for justice and accountability.
In response to the escalating crisis, President Bola Tinubu has directed security chiefs to enforce his previous order aimed at restoring peace and security in the state.
According to presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga, military, police, and intelligence officials have now been deployed to Benue to coordinate security operations and re-establish order in the affected communities.
