Latest news with #Fulani
First Post
a day ago
- Politics
- First Post
Nigeria: Over 100 Died in Gunmen Attack in Benue State; People "Charred to Death"
Nigeria: Over 100 Died in Gunmen Attack in Benue State; People "Charred to Death" | Firstpost Africa Nigeria: Over 100 Died in Gunmen Attack in Benue State; People "Charred to Death" | Firstpost Africa At least 100 people were killed in a brutal attack on Yelewata village in Nigeria's Benue state. Witnesses say gunmen stormed the area, firing indiscriminately and locking residents inside homes before setting them ablaze. Many victims were burned alive, and dozens remain missing. The region, plagued by herder-farmer clashes, has seen a surge in deadly violence. Some survivors blame Fulani herdsmen, citing ongoing land disputes. The attack sparked mass protests in Makurdi, with demonstrators demanding justice and security. President Tinubu has vowed decisive action. See More
First Post
3 days ago
- Politics
- First Post
Nigeria: Thousands Protest Deadly Gunmen Attack in Benue; Police Fire Tear Gas
Nigeria: Thousands Protest Deadly Gunmen Attack in Benue; Police Fire Tear Gas | Firstpost Africa Nigeria: Thousands Protest Deadly Gunmen Attack in Benue; Police Fire Tear Gas | Firstpost Africa Deadly violence has erupted in central Nigeria following brutal attacks on the village of Yelewata, where gunmen killed dozens, many while they slept. The assault has sparked mass protests in Makurdi, with demonstrators demanding action from the government. Clashes between Fulani herders and Christian farmers over land rights have fueled years of bloodshed in the region. While officials confirm 59 dead, local groups claim over 100 fatalities. Police cracked down on the protests, firing tear gas to disperse crowds. As peace efforts stall, tensions continue to rise in Benue state, highlighting the deepening crisis gripping Nigeria's central region. See More
Arab Times
3 days ago
- Politics
- Arab Times
Death toll from attack by gunmen in north-central Nigeria reaches 150: survivors
DAKAR, Senegal, June 17, (AP): The death toll from an attack by gunmen over the weekend in north-central Nigeria has climbed to 150, survivors said Monday as the villagers were still digging through burned homes, counting their dead and looking for dozens of people still missing. Assailants stormed Benue state's Yelewata community late on Friday night, opening fire on villagers who were asleep and setting their homes ablaze, survivors and the local farmers union said. Many of those killed were sheltering in a local market after fleeing violence in other parts of the state. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the killings, but such attacks are common in Nigeria's northern region where local herders and farmers often clash over limited access to land and water. The prolonged conflict has become deadlier in recent years, with authorities and analysts warning that more herdsmen are taking up arms. The farmers accuse the herders, mostly of Fulani origin, of grazing their livestock on their farms and destroying their produce. The herders insist that the lands are grazing routes that were first backed by law in 1965, five years after the country gained its independence. Nigeria's President Bola Tinubu, whose government has fallen short of expectations in ending the country's deadly security crises, described the Benue attack as "senseless bloodletting' while his office said he would visit the stricken community on Wednesday. Titus Tsegba, who lost his wife and four of his children in the attack, said more than 20 bodies were recovered on Monday. The initial death toll was reported to be 100 on Saturday. His wife and children - the youngest 8 and the oldest 27 - were "burned into ashes beyond recognition,' he told The Associated Press, adding that he survived because he was sleeping in another part of the community. "Everything is gone,' he said. Benue Deputy Gov. Sam Ode said he suspected the perpetrators were herdsmen. Ode and the survivors spoke to the AP by phone.
Herald Malaysia
3 days ago
- Herald Malaysia
Up to 200 displaced Nigerian Christians killed in ‘worst' attack yet
Islamist Fulani militants swooped into the town of Yelewata in Nigeria's Benue state and killed up to 200 Nigerian Christians on Friday in what international aid organizations are calling the 'worst killing spree' in the region yet. Jun 17, 2025 Over 200 Christians were murdered by Islamist militants in Nigeria on June, 13, 2025. | Credit: Red Confidential/Shutterstock By Madalaine Elhabbal Islamist Fulani militants swooped into the town of Yelewata in Nigeria's Benue state and killed up to 200 Nigerian Christians on Friday in what international aid organizations are calling the 'worst killing spree' in the region yet. The attackers targeted Christians living as internally displaced people in the June 13 attack, setting fire to buildings where families were taking shelter and assaulting with machetes anyone who attempted to flee, according to Aid to the Church in Need (ACN). 'Militants stormed in, shouting 'Allahu Akhbar' ('God is great'), before killing people at will,' ACN reported, adding that the attackers 'used fuel to set fire to the doors of the displaced people's accommodation before opening fire in an area where more than 500 people were asleep.' 'What I saw was truly gruesome. People were slaughtered. Corpses were scattered everywhere,' Father Ukuma Jonathan Angbianbee, a local parish priest, told ACN shortly after the attack. The priest, along with several other witnesses, affirmed that the Fulani herdsmen were behind the massacre. The militants attacked the town from several angles and used heavy rain as cover, he noted. Angbianbee narrowly escaped being killed himself, dropping to the floor when the militants began firing shots. 'When we heard the shots and saw the militants, we committed our lives to God,' he continued. 'This morning, I thank God I am alive.' The militants attempted first to attack a local parish, St. Joseph's Church in Yelewata, where 700 displaced people were being sheltered earlier in the evening. However, after local law enforcement fought off the initial attack, the militants moved on to the town's market square, where they carried out the brutal assault on several buildings that had been repurposed into housing for displaced people. Although initial reports estimated nearly 100 deaths, data collected by the Diocese of Makurdi Foundation for Justice, Development, and Peace found that a total of 200 people were killed. 'The death toll makes it the single-worst atrocity in the region, where there has been a sudden upsurge in attacks and increasing signs that a concerted militant assault is underway to force an entire community to leave,' ACN stated. Another clergy member, identified as a leading priest in the Diocese of Makurdi, criticized Nigerian law enforcement for failing to arrive on the scene until the next morning. 'Where were they the previous evening when we needed them?' he asked, adding: 'This is by far [the] worst atrocity we have seen. There has been nothing even close.' 'Some 200 people were murdered, with extraordinary cruelty,' Pope Leo XIV said during his Angelus address on Sunday. 'Most of the victims were internal refugees who were hosted by a local Catholic mission,' he lamented, adding that he would be praying for 'security, peace, and justice,' especially for 'rural Christian communities of the Benue state who have been relentless victims of violence.' During Lent and Holy Week, Fulani herdsmen killed more than 170 Christians in Nigeria's Middle Belt region, with 72 of the deaths reported in the Benue state alone during the Easter Triduum between April 18–20. The ongoing attacks continue to raise serious concerns about religious persecution and government inaction in the West African nation.--CNA
The Hindu
4 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Death toll from an attack by gunmen in north-central Nigeria reaches 150, survivors say
The death toll from an attack by gunmen over the weekend in north-central Nigeria has climbed to 150, survivors said Monday (June 16, 2025) as the villagers were still digging through burned homes, counting their dead and looking for dozens of people still missing. Assailants stormed Benue state's Yelewata community late on Friday (June 13, 2025) night, opening fire on villagers who were asleep and setting their homes ablaze, survivors and the local farmers union said. Many of those killed were sheltering in a local market after fleeing violence in other parts of the State. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the killings, but such attacks are common in Nigeria's northern region where local herders and farmers often clash over limited access to land and water. The prolonged conflict has become deadlier in recent years, with authorities and analysts warning that more herdsmen are taking up arms. The farmers accuse the herders, mostly of Fulani origin, of grazing their livestock on their farms and destroying their produce. The herders insist that the lands are grazing routes that were first backed by law in 1965, five years after the country gained its independence. Nigeria's President Bola Tinubu, whose government has fallen short of expectations in ending the country's deadly security crises, described the Benue attack as 'senseless bloodletting' while his office said he would visit the stricken community on Wednesday (June 18, 2025). Titus Tsegba, who lost his wife and four of his children in the attack, said more than 20 bodies were recovered on Monday. The initial death toll was reported to be 100 on Saturday (June 14, 2025). His wife and children — the youngest 8 and the oldest 27 — were 'burned into ashes beyond recognition,' he told The Associated Press, adding that he survived because he was sleeping in another part of the community. "Everything is gone,' he said. Benue Deputy Gov. Sam Ode said he suspected the perpetrators were herdsmen. Ode and the survivors spoke to the AP by phone. The gunmen made it difficult for many to flee after surrounding the Yelewata community, which is about 120 kilometers (75 miles) from the state capital of Makurdi, said Jacob Psokaa, who lost his 55-year-old father in the attack. 'They were coming from different sides at the same moment … it was sporadic shooting,' Psokaa said. 'The situation is very bad now with many people in the ground … your people leaving you suddenly.' The gunmen also burned food stores in the local market, razing a year's harvest that included rice and yam, staple food mainly exported from Benue to other parts of Nigeria. 'Enough is enough!' said Mr. Tinubu, the President. 'I have directed the security agencies to act decisively, arrest perpetrators of these evil acts on all sides of the conflict, and prosecute them.'
