At least 100 people died in a gun attack on a village in Nigeria’s north-central Benue state between Friday evening and Saturday morning, Amnesty International Nigeria reported.
The massacre occurred in Yelewata, a community in the Guma Local Government Area of Benue State. Armed gunmen struck between late Friday (13 Jun 2025) and the early hours of Saturday (14 Jun 2025).
Families Burned Alive in Yelewata Community Attack
Many families were locked inside their bedrooms and burned alive during the assault. The bodies were burned beyond recognition, according to Amnesty International.
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Hundreds more people sustained injuries but cannot access adequate medical care. Dozens remain missing after the attack.
Graphic videos and photos circulating on social media showed corpses and burnt houses in the aftermath of the violence.
Udeme Edet, spokesperson for Benue police, confirmed an attack took place in Yelewata but did not specify the number of casualties.
Benue State Governor Hyacinth Alia sent a delegation to Yelewata to support relatives of the victims.
Armed Groups Escalate Violence Across Nigeria’s Middle Belt
Amnesty International stated that attacks across Benue State have intensified, with armed groups killing people without restraint.
The rights organization warned that Nigerian authorities have failed to curb the violence threatening people’s lives and livelihoods. More people may die if immediate action is not taken.
Such attacks are common in Nigeria’s northern region where local herders and farmers often clash over limited access to land and water. Farmers accuse the herders, mostly of Fulani origin, of grazing their livestock on their farms and destroying their produce.
The herders insist the lands are grazing routes first backed by law in 1965, five years after Nigeria gained independence.
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Benue State sits in Nigeria’s “Middle Belt” – the boundary zone between the Muslim-majority north and Christian-majority south.
Last month, gunmen believed to be herders killed at least 20 people in Benue State’s Gwer West area. In April 2025, at least 40 people died in neighbouring Plateau State.
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