Tension has engulfed Yelwata community in Benue State following a deadly gunmen attack in the early hours of Monday, leaving residents fearful and enraged.
Eyewitnesses said the renewed violence prompted dozens of women to stage a protest, demanding the immediate withdrawal of soldiers stationed in the area and calling for urgent evacuation to Makurdi, the state capital.
“They should take us to Makurdi because the government cannot protect us,” one of the protesters declared.
The attack comes less than two months after suspected herders launched a night-time assault on June 13, killing an estimated 200 people — including internally displaced persons — and burning many victims alive in what residents described as one of the bloodiest attacks in the community’s history.
The latest incident has deepened fears of further violence, with locals accusing security forces of failing to protect them despite a heavy military presence in the area.
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