ABUJA, June 15, 2025 — At least 100 people have been killed in a brutal attack by unidentified gunmen in Yelewata village, located in Nigeria’s central Benue State, Amnesty International Nigeria confirmed on Saturday.
According to a statement posted on the rights group’s official X (formerly Twitter) account, the attack began late Friday and continued into the early hours of Saturday, leaving scores dead, dozens injured, and many still unaccounted for. Amnesty reported that several families were “locked up and burnt inside their bedrooms,” describing the incident as one of the most horrific assaults in the region this year.
“Many people are still missing, while the injured are left without access to adequate medical care,” the statement added, calling for urgent humanitarian intervention and a full investigation into the attack.
Benue State, part of Nigeria’s volatile Middle Belt region, has long been the epicentre of deadly clashes over land and resources. The region sits at the intersection of Nigeria’s majority-Muslim north and predominantly Christian south and is often marked by ethno-religious tensions. The conflict frequently pits nomadic herders against sedentary farming communities, with competition over grazing and farmland escalating into violence.
Saturday’s massacre is the latest in a string of attacks that have plagued the state in recent years. Just last month, suspected herders carried out coordinated assaults across the Gwer West district, killing at least 42 people over a single weekend.
According to data from SBM Intelligence, over 500 people have lost their lives in similar clashes since 2019, while more than 2.2 million individuals have been displaced, creating a deepening humanitarian crisis in central Nigeria.
Despite repeated calls for intervention, critics argue that the federal government’s response has been insufficient, with survivors often left to fend for themselves amid rising insecurity.
Amnesty International has urged Nigerian authorities to take immediate action to protect vulnerable communities, ensure justice for victims, and address the root causes of the recurring violence in the region.
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