Guma LGA, Benue State / Abuja — November 6, 2025 | Dalena Reporters
In a stark disclosure, survivors of the attack on the Yelwata community in Guma Local Government Area of Benue State say they repeatedly alerted Nigerian authorities to an imminent terrorists’ strike — only to witness the tragedy unfold with devastating loss of life.
The June 13–14 assault on Yelwata, widely reported to have left between 100 and 200 people dead, involved suspected armed militants reportedly targeting Christian farmers and internally displaced persons. Residents say they sent multiple warnings to local security agencies and intelligence units but faced no preventive action.
One survivor, who wished to remain anonymous for safety reasons, described how the community alerted local police and military outposts of suspicious gatherings of armed men days before the attack. “We told them what we saw — motorcycles without number plates, men in the bush, people being moved under cover of night. We asked for help. Nothing happened,” he said.
Community elders corroborated the claims, providing Dalena Reporters with correspondence sent to the state’s Joint Task Force, local police headquarters, and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) offices. Despite the alerts, the troops posted nearby did not engage or establish effective deterrence, they said.
In the aftermath, the area was looted and burned, dozens of homes razed, and many victims' bodies left unrecovered. Observers say the tragic failure to respond to early warnings compounded the scale of the massacre. According to rights groups, attackers used diversion tactics and false alerts to draw security forces away — a tactic confirmed by the Christopher Musa, Nigeria’s Chief of Defence Staff.
Officials at the Joint Task Force in Benue did not provide a detailed comment on the allegation of ignored warnings. However, a press release from the Defence Headquarters noted that security operations in north-central Nigeria were proceeding and emphasised the need for community cooperation.
As of now, the full number of casualties remains contested. Official figures from the state government cited at least 59 deaths, but independent investigations and rights groups believe the toll to be far higher.
The mass killing has triggered renewed calls from both local and international human-rights organisations for a thorough investigation into not only the attack itself but also the systemic failures that allowed it. The survivors’ allegations of prior warnings place additional pressure on Nigerian authorities to demonstrate accountability and effective preventive mechanisms.
For now, Yelwata remains displaced: many of its residents are living in temporary shelters, farms lie fallow, and the trauma of the night’s events lingers. The warnings were clear — but the response was not.