The intensity of attacks on Benue communities by suspected herdsmen took a turn for the worse last Saturday with the killing of no fewer than 200 inhabitants of Yelewata, a community at the border between Benue and Nassarawa states situated in Guma Local Government Area.
Like other Tiv communities, the inhabitants of Yelewata are predominantly farmers. The rich and fertile land is good for cultivation of different kinds of crops, including maize, rice, millet, yams and cassava, to mention a few.
A farmer in Yelewata, Thomas Iorya, who currently lives in a temporary camp opened for displaced persons at the International Market, Makurdi, the Benue State capital, told our correspondent that Yelewata came into existence more than 100 years ago.
“Our great grandfathers lived in this town and gave birth to us. So, this is our ancestry home. We have nowhere else to go,” he said as he recalled the bloody incident reckoned to have claimed hundreds of lives.
Orya said: “On that very day of the attack, it was raining heavily, and shortly after the downpour, at about 11 pm, I heard sounds of sporadic gunshots coming from all directions.
“Most of the people in Yelewata community are internally displaced persons (IDPs) from other Tiv communities in Nassarawa State, who were driven away by militia herdsmen and forced to camp in Yelewata.
“I was lucky because that very night, I slept at LGEA Primary School in Yelewata. The place is under the watch of soldiers, and that was what save me as 12 of my relations were brutally killed.
“The gunmen, some of whom were in army camouflage, set houses on fire, burning the inhabitants, including children aged between five and six, beyond recognition.”
Attributing his survival to the grace of God, Orya said: “I give God the glory for my survival. But the unfortunate incident is that I lost 12 of my relations in the attack.”
He, however, said he was not happy staying in an IDP camp in Makurdi. Hence he urged government at state and federal levels to provide him and his people adequate security so they could return to their ancestral homes and farm to feed themselves.
Orya said even before the attack last Saturday, he had a premonition that herdsmen were coming to attack his people and he was restless.
“The number of soldiers, policemen and Civil Defence Corps members on ground was not enough to protect Yelewata community. If we have enough security, such an attack would not have occurred, and I pray that God will never allow such attack and killings again,” he said.
Madukwe B. Nwabuisi is an accomplished journalist renown for his fearless reporting style and extensive expertise in the field. He is an investigative journalist, who has established himself as a kamikaze reporter.
