Amnesty International Nigeria on Saturday condemned the invasion of the Yelewata farming community that resulted in the death of approximately 200 people, calling on authorities to immediately act to end the violence. The statement came after gunmen attacked the community in the Nigerian state of Benue late Friday amid a wave of “alarming escalations of attacks across Benue state.”
The rights group stated: “The Nigerian authorities must immediately end the almost daily bloodshed in Benue state and bring the actual perpetrators to justice… The Nigerian authorities’ failure to stem the violence is costing people’s lives and livelihoods, and without immediate action many more lives may be lost.”
The local community leader, Matthew Mnyan, reportedly stated that although local authorities were in proximity to the atrocities, they did not intervene while private security services fought back once the attack commenced. Many of the deaths, including families and children, occurred through petrol being poured on houses while the inhabitants were asleep.
Mnyan, commenting on the motive of the attack, stated that “everybody is aware that the people want to take over Benue state. There are no two ways about it. They only want to grab the land.”
Shortly after the attack ended, protests across the region demanded government intervention. Indicative of local sources, tear gas and projectile weapons were used to suppress the protesters.
According to the Governor of Benue State, Hyacinth Alia, “a combined team of tactical and response squads” sent by the Nigerian Federal Government, then arrived in the state to secure vulnerable areas. Alia underscored that “the state government remained committed to justice, peace, and security for all.”
Rather than being a one-time occurrence, several similar attacks in Benue State had been reported in recent weeks. The attacks are reportedly being conducted by Fulani Militia, a decentralized radical Islamic group, predominantly targeting Christian communities. In total, over 10,000 people have been killed in Nigeria by attacks of non-state armed groups since 2023, which sparked widespread international demand for more robust policies to counter these internal incidents.
In the aftermath of the attacks, former Vice President of Nigeria Atiku Abubakar urged the federal government to conduct a “prompt [and] transparent investigation into the attack” and to “guarantee the protection of vulnerable areas.” Abubakar, describing the incidents as a “national emergency” rather than “just a local tragedy,” called on all Nigerians, regardless of faith or culture, to “unite in condemning this atrocity.”
On Sunday, Pope Leo expressed his concerns and prayers. The Pope prayed for the victims of the attack, condemning the attacks on the “rural Christian communities of the Benue State, who have been relentless victims of violence.”
