Tension has flared once again in Benue State after suspected herdsmen launched a deadly attack early Monday morning, killing three farmers and critically injuring three others in the Yelwata area of Guma Local Government Area.
The victims were reportedly working on their farmland when gunmen opened fire, causing panic in the surrounding community.
In response, women from Yelwata took to the Benue–Nasarawa federal highway in protest, expressing anger at what they described as the inaction of military personnel during the attack. The protesters blocked the road for hours and demanded the withdrawal of soldiers from their communities, accusing them of failing to protect lives.
Despite the efforts of community leaders, the women refused to leave the highway. According to Matthew Mnyam, a prominent figure and former government official, the protesters stood firm in their demand, insisting the soldiers had lost their trust.
“Three people were killed this morning by suspected Fulani herdsmen, and three more are battling for their lives with serious gunshot wounds,” Mnyam disclosed.
“The protest was sparked by these renewed killings. The Commissioner of Police is currently on ground, trying to restore calm.”
Mnyam added that he had alerted the Secretary of Guma LGA to contact the local government chairman for urgent intervention.
Confirming the violence and protest, Guma LGA Chairman Maurice Orwough appealed for calm, urging both residents and authorities to seek peaceful solutions.
The latest attack comes just two months after a deadly overnight raid in June in the same Yelwata axis, which left dozens of residents dead and displaced over 3,000 people. While the Benue State Government placed the official death toll at 59, several civil rights organisations claimed that as many as 200 lives were lost.
That June massacre drew international condemnation, with Pope Leo XIV issuing a statement decrying the “terrible massacre” and urging all parties to pursue peace and justice.
Meanwhile, security remains tight in Yelwata as local police and youth vigilante groups reportedly mobilised to repel further incursions, in the absence of visible military presence.
The community remains on edge, with residents calling for decisive action from the federal government to halt what they describe as relentless and targeted attacks on farming settlements.
