Benue massacre: Herdsmen slaughter Hundreds in Yelwata

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00:00on the night of friday 13th june 2025 terror swept through your water a quiet farming border

00:21town in benway state nigeria as darkness fell heavily harmed men suspected to be

00:28its men surrounded the town they came with guns and attacked with fury they poured petrol on market

00:36stalls where families were sleeping families who had already fled violence in nearby villages

00:43they set them ablaze mothers children refugees burned alive in the very place they thought was safe

00:52officially the police say 45 people died that night but local leaders including chief dennis

01:03say the real number is far higher over 200 lives lost many inside catholic mission where the displaced

01:12had gathered for shelter that same day in another part of goma two soldiers were also killed in a

01:21separate ambush this wasn't just an attack it was part of a deeper holder tragedy benway known as

01:29nigeria's food basket is gradually becoming a shadow of itself the state has long been caught

01:37in a deadly struggle between farmers and fulani et's men as drought and desertification drive

01:45edda south they clash with farmers over land fields are trampled crops destroyed and communities burned to

01:55the ground but this isn't only about land most of benway's farmers are christians while many et's men

02:04are muslims and when tensions rise religion had full to an already dangerous fire since 1999 thousands have

02:14been killed in this conflict in 2023 alone 119 separate attacks were reported leaving over 400 people dead

02:24in 2017 benway passed a law banning open grazing and it was meant to stop this violence but it was never

02:33fully enforced and the killings have continued on sunday 15th june from saint peter square in rome

02:40populio the 14 spoke before his angelos prayer his voice reached across continent as he called the

02:48yawata attack a terrible massacre he said i pray for security justice and peace in nigeria especially

02:57for the rural christian communities of benway states relentless victims of violence

03:13now survivors of your water have been moved to emergency camps in makodi the state capital aid

03:21workers from the benway state emergency management agency are doing what they can governor i sent alia

03:29from the all-progressive congress condemned the killings nobody has the right to take another person's

03:36life he said but for many the words came too late angry protests are broken out in makodi people are

03:44demanding the anti-grazing law being forced they want real protection they want justice president bola

03:52hammer tinobu has sent troops and other security chiefs to intensify the hunt for the perpetrators

04:00reports suggest 42 suspects have now been detained but locals say the government acted only after the blood

04:09had tried president noble is scheduled to visit benway on wednesday in a bid to personally assess the

04:17situation the people's democratic party has openly accused the state of ignoring warnings and many

04:24citizens are asking the same question how did this happen again because this is not just a land dispute

04:32this is a struggle for survival of identity of livelihood and of life itself if nigeria does not act now

04:43with firm land policies grazing laws climate solutions justice for victims and real security then your

04:50waters crisis might not be the last will nigeria listen before more blood is spilled for now fingers crossed

05:01hoping for a lasting resolution in no time