Witnesses to the recent tragic attacks in Yelewata, Guma Local Government Area, Benue State, have spoken out in agony, describing how suspected herdsmen massacred their family members and set their homes on fire.
Michael Ajah, a survivor, described the anguish of losing at least 20 family members in the assault in a video interview with News Central TV.
“My people, my family members, they died in this house, 11. Some died in the other store, eight, and some died here. My whole family members that died yesterday, the day before yesterday, on that very day, there were 20.” he said.
“That is my own family members. I’m not talking about any other thing. That is my own family members,” Ajah added.
He added that his goods and property were also lost in the attack saying, “This is my store. Those shops are my stores. Those places are burnt. My house is up there, that place also is burnt.
“And the store where I pack my goods, I store my goods everywhere. That’s burnt. They burnt my clothes. They burnt everything. They burnt our food. All my family members.
“What we came out with is our clothes, what we wear. And I, standing here, this is what I came out with. And this is the only thing that I have. There is nothing with me,” he said holding the cloth he was wearing.
Ajah further described how the attackers stormed their home late in the night during a heavy rain saying, “On that very day, rain started in the evening. So, we entered. I slept there. So, I was sleeping. Around 10.20, we heard gunshots at the back there. So, before we could notice that something has happened, Fulani men, they entered this place.”
He went on to say that he heard them talk and was positive they were Fulani men.
“They were speaking, and I was inside the room, and I heard them clearly, not somebody told me. I was inside the room there and they surrounded that room. I escaped narrowly. My brother was burnt in this house. Some escaped. My dad was burnt in this house,” he said.
Another local, Bature Bartholomew, stated in a separate interview that he lost his mother, his sister-in-law, and his younger brother in the attack. It was reported that they were all burned alive in their home.
Bartholomew added that his goods worth millions of naira were burnt during the attack.
He said, “I can’t say precisely because it’s over millions of naira. I store grains like guinea corn, maize, soya beans, rice.
“My younger brother stays here. he’s no longer alive, he was burnt inside this house. He was burnt in this house, yes him, his wife, mother and many others were burnt in this house.”
It was reported on Sunday that the attacks, which began on Friday night and lasted into the early hours of Saturday, claimed the lives of at least 45 individuals.
President Bola Tinubu has also rescheduled his official visit to Kaduna State, announcing that he will now visit Benue State on Wednesday, as part of renewed efforts to promote peace and address the ongoing crisis affecting communities in the state.
