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The Nation reports that survivors of a vicious attack on the Yelewata community in Benue State’s Guma Local Government Area have described horrific events that left homes in ruins and many dead..CONTINUE FULL READING>>>>>
Armed attackers set fire to compounds and fired across the village, forcing residents to flee. The region was littered with burned trash and broken lives after the attack, which happened in the early hours of a wet evening.
Michael Ajah, one of the survivors, told how the attack, which was thought to have been carried out by suspected herders, claimed the lives of at least twenty members of his extended family. He described coming home to a burned-out environment, with burned clothes and supplies scattered among the wreckage of the little shop where he used to pack and sell things. The extent of the devastation experienced by those who called Yelewata home is highlighted in Ajah’s story. Medical crews dispatched to the scene recovered the bodies of at least thirty persons, some of whom had suffered serious burns.
Many more had been shot and burned and required emergency medical care. More medical help has been requested as a result of the overcrowding in local health institutions caused by the rush of injured survivors. The local authorities have condemned the incident and pledged a thorough investigation. Security guards have been dispatched to patrol the surrounding communities in an effort to prevent further bloodshed. According to Ajah, the attack started just after dark, when heavy rains forced many locals inside. Around 10:20 p.m., he had taken cover in his room when gunfire broke out. He described how the attackers surrounded the structure and then set it on fire. Close family members, such as his father and brother, were confined inside, but he was able to escape amidst the confusion.
In order to resolve long-standing conflicts over grazing routes and land use in the area, community leaders have urged communication between farmers and herders. Rain began to fall in the evening on that particular day, he remarked. So we went in. There, I slept. I was sleeping, then. We heard gunshots in the rear at around ten twenty. Fulani men therefore infiltrated this area before we realised anything had transpired. I was in the room when they spoke, and I could easily hear them without anyone else telling me. They encircled that room, and I was inside it. I barely made it out. In this house, my brother was burned. A few managed to get away. This is the house where my dad was burned.CONTINUE FULL READING>>>>>
