Suspected Herdsmen Kill Three, Spark Protest in Benue’s Yelwata Community

Tension gripped Yelwata in Benue State on Monday after suspected herdsmen reportedly opened fire on farmers, killing three people and leaving three others critically injured.

The attack, which occurred in the early hours, triggered a protest by women from the community. The demonstrators accused soldiers of failing to respond promptly, forcing the police and local youths to mobilise in defence of the area.

Matthew Mnyam, a former government official, told reporters that he and other community leaders tried to persuade the women to leave the federal highway linking Benue and Nasarawa states. However, the protesters refused, demanding that soldiers vacate their communities for allegedly failing to protect them.

“This morning, three persons were killed by Fulani herdsmen while three others were discovered with severe gunshot injuries from the attack, leaving them in critical condition as we speak,” Mnyam said.

“This prompted a protest by women from the Yelwata community on the renewed killings.

The commissioner of police is there at the moment trying to handle the matter, while I have sent a message to the Secretary of Guma Local Government Area (LGA) to reach out to the chairman to intervene in the matter.”

Guma LGA Chairman, Maurice Orwough, also confirmed the attack and the protest, appealing to residents and “all persons of goodwill” to work for peace.

The latest incident comes just weeks after a deadly overnight assault in June that left scores dead and displaced over 3,000 residents in Yelwata. While government officials put the death toll at 59, civil rights groups claimed nearly 200 people were killed.

The recurring violence in Benue has drawn national and international condemnation, including from Pope Leo XIV, who decried what he called a “terrible massacre” and urged an end to the killings.