Benue Community Blocks Highway in Protest Over Renewed Killings

Residents of Yelwata, in Guma Local Government Area of Benue State, on Monday staged a major protest following the killing of three people during an early morning attack on the community.

The protesters, who carried the bodies of the victims, blocked the busy Makurdi–Lafia–Abuja federal highway, causing hours of gridlock for motorists and travellers.

Local youth leader Achii Mathias alleged that the assailants, suspected to be armed herders, may have spent the night in the area before launching the assault around 7 a.m. He said three residents were killed and three others injured despite the presence of about 200 security personnel in and around Yelwata.

“The herders attacked our community at about 7 a.m., likely after sleeping within the vicinity. They opened fire in broad daylight. Our people are protesting because even with heavy security deployment, such attacks still happen,” Mathias said.

The Special Adviser to the Benue State Governor on Security and Internal Affairs, Joseph Har, confirmed the incident, stating that the killings occurred in a community near Yelwata. He said authorities, including the Guma Local Government Chairman, were on-site to assess the situation.

When contacted, the spokesperson for the Benue State Police Command, Udeme Edet, said she would provide further details later.

This attack comes less than two months after the June 13 massacre in Yelwata, which claimed about 200 lives and drew nationwide and international condemnation, including from President Bola Tinubu and Pope Leo XI of the Catholic Church.