A sad atmosphere hit Nigeria on the night of june 13 into the next day being June 14, 2025, on this night yelwata bled, burned and wept. The atmosphere was saturated with the smell of roasted meat, sadly what burned wasn’t meat but the most delicate human flesh.
Yelwata is a small farming community located in Guma local government area, of Benue State Nigeria. The yelwata attack was the third assault on the community within a week, just days earlier 25 people were killed in makurdi. Between April and June over 270 deaths were recorded across 10 local government areas in Benue state.
The yelwata attack is part of a decade long conflict in Benue state, rooted in competition over land, and resources between nomadic Fulani herders and Tiv and idoma farmers of the community. The assailants, reportedly wielded sophisticated weapons including guns and matchetes overpowered the community youths who tried to defend its people, leaving many dead and injured, Entire families were killed with many victims burned alive in their homes or locked in bedrooms and stores set ablaze, bodies were burnt beyond recognition, children with throat slits and widespread destruction of homes and properties.
And then you must be wondering what the Nigerian government did or is doing about this, so far nothing has been done to put these culprits who gruesomely murdered entire families too book. As is the usual tradition the president did condemn the actions of the perpetrators and assured the people of a lasting solution to these conflicts and murders , But is this enough? These things keep occurring and nothing is being done about it, who will comfort the families of those who lost their lives, how do we get back the lost destinies destroyed by the fire, how do you make these people feel safe and happy in their own land, what we need is lasting solutions and not mere promises.
And oh the part that gets me the most is how this tragedy is being celebrated. It is the duty of the president to visit the victims, to give hope to these families, to reassure them of their safety. But no, the president’s visit today being 17th June 2025 is being treated like a ceremonial visit, like there’s some party going on or something worth celebrating In the state, the governor of the state declaring today a public holiday is absurd, putting billboards everywhere celebrating the president’s visit and asking people in mourning to come out in mass to welcome the president is wild. This is supposed to be a condolence visit and not an election campaign, this is simply being insensitive to the pains of your own people. This is indeed a celebrated tragedy.