By Rafiyat Sadiq
A resident of Yelewata in Guma Local Government Area of Benue State, Joseph Kwagh, has narrated the horrifying experience of losing eight members of his immediate family in a recent deadly attack allegedly carried out by suspected herdsmen.
In an interview with News Central TV, Kwagh said the attackers killed his father, stepmother, and six siblings during the incident.
Warnings That Fell on Deaf Ears
Kwagh disclosed that the community had received warnings prior to the attack but did not take them seriously due to previous false alarms.
“There were always rumours of attacks, and each time, security forces—soldiers, police, and vigilantes would intervene. We thought this would be no different,” he said.
Rainfall, Chaos, and Gunfire
He recounted that the attack occurred in the evening amid a heavy downpour, during which his family sought shelter across the expressway in a storehouse used for storing grains.
“And then the rains started falling down heavily, all of a sudden and everyone rushed to seek refuge under the various shelters. My father, his wife (my step-mother), and six of my siblings now crossed to the other side of the expressway to the other house that was serving as grain stores to get shielded from the rains,” Kwagh said.
“At this point, there were gunshots everywhere in Yelewata with pandemonium everywhere. Not long enough, I heard cries and shouts across the other side of the road, where my father, step-mother and my other siblings had gone to seek shelter, but with the heavy rain, the noise was too loud to get to know what the shouts and cries were.
“Not until someone came running towards our location with blood all over him and saying that they have come and killing people, that was when I and my mother and the rest of my biological brothers and sisters decided to flee to the place where the security agents were also engaging the attackers from all positions. That was how I was able to escape with my mother and siblings to safety.”
He praised the efforts of local security forces but noted their limitations.
“The local vigilantes, the military and police really did their best, but I guess they ran out of ammunition, until reinforcement came in from Makurdi.”
A Home Reduced to Ashes
After the attack subsided, Kwagh returned to the grain store and found it destroyed.
“I was able to go to the very house my father and the other members of our family went to hide, where I discovered his charred remains along with my step-mother and siblings. I was really devastated.
“We had foodstuffs in the store, where we normally go to restock our household. All burnt down along with our family members,” he said.
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A Community Under Siege
Kwagh connected the attack to the lingering conflict between farmers and herders over land and grazing rights.
“For years, their cattle destroyed our farms, and when we reported, we never got justice. Our elders eventually asked them to leave our land. That seems to be the reason we are being attacked,” he said.
He added that the attackers had issued threats to the community.
“They only said, since we are refusing them to graze on our land, that we too will not know peace. That is their threat to us.”
According to him, the underlying tensions had festered due to lack of justice and effective intervention.
“Before this time, there has been cases of cattle grazing on our farmland and when we arrest the cattle and take to the police authority, the compensation is never commiserate with the value or worth of crops destroyed by the grazing cattle. And we end up getting impoverished every season.
“Our elders decided to ask them to leave our land, so that they can farm peacefully. That is our only crime. Nobody harmed them.”
I lost not only loved ones but also my livelihood- Kwagh
Kwagh described the toll the attack had taken on his future and family, stressing that he lost not only loved ones but also his livelihood.
“My worst fears are that, these deaths have created a vacuum that I cannot fill. I have lost the little investment in terms of my savings, my foodstuffs, seedlings for this year’s planting season and the fear of not being able to go back to farm again… because you never can tell what these pastoralists are capable of doing going further,” he said.
Despite the overwhelming grief, he vowed to take care of his surviving relatives.
He added “My remaining surviving family is where I am gathering strength from. There is no one except me to cater for their needs. And that as far as there is life, there will be hope too.”
Gowing Toll of Violence in Benue
Kwagh’s account adds to the growing list of casualties from renewed violence in Benue State. Governor Hyacinth Alia confirmed that at least 151 people have died in the latest series of attacks.
Kwagh said “We thought it was like previous rumours that come and go without anything happening. We sat vigil outside our houses, talking and sharing stories. This time around, they were well-armed and hell-bent on killing anyone they see. That is why even babies were hacked to death”.
He concluded by calling global attention to what he described as an unprovoked war on his community.
“The world should be told that the peaceful place called Yelewata was massacred by Fulani headsmen, who have been waging war against us, unprovoked attacks, such that we are not able to go to farm to cultivate and grow crops, our only source of livelihood.”
The Yelewata incident is one of many violent attacks in Benue State. Governor Hyacinth Alia recently confirmed that the latest wave of violence left 151 people dead.
Rafiyat Sadiq is a political, justice, and human rights reporter with Pinnacle Daily, known for fearless reporting and impactful storytelling. At Pinnacle Daily, she brings clarity and depth to issues shaping governance, democracy, and the protection of citizens’ rights.
