Armed cattle herders killed 45 people during a nighttime attack against Yelewata town. The attackers burned many houses before police arrived and fought back with gunfire. Officials from Benue state confirmed the deadly raid happened overnight and left dozens dead. Eyewitnesses watched the violence unfold as herders targeted the central Nigerian community. Police engaged the armed group after they finished destroying homes and killing residents.
Nomadic herders and settled farmers fight regularly across central Nigeria over limited land resources. Competition for grazing areas and farming space creates ongoing conflicts between these groups. The latest violence follows other recent attacks that killed dozens more people. Two days earlier, gunmen murdered 25 people during another assault on Makurdi town. Two weeks before that incident, attackers killed 25 more victims during separate raids across Benue state.
Nomadic herders and settled farmers fight regularly across central Nigeria over limited land resources. Competition for grazing areas and farming space creates ongoing conflicts between these groups. The latest violence follows other recent attacks that killed dozens more people. Two days earlier, gunmen murdered 25 people during another assault on Makurdi town. Two weeks before that incident, attackers killed 25 more victims during separate raids across Benue state.
