Gunmen Kill Nearly 100 in Coordinated Attack in Central Nigeria

A coordinated and brutal assault on the village of Yelwata in Nigeria’s central Benue State has left nearly 100 people dead, according to eyewitness accounts. The attackers, believed to be armed groups, stormed the village, opening fire on residents and setting homes ablaze.

Radio France Internationale (RFI) reported that the assailants approached the village from three different directions, surrounding it before launching a barrage of gunfire that sparked widespread panic and chaos.

This massacre marks the latest tragedy in a long-running cycle of violence between Fulani herders and settled farmers in Nigeria’s volatile Middle Belt region. Tensions in the area have been steadily rising due to disputes over land ownership and dwindling access to natural resources—pressures that have been exacerbated by climate change and rapid population growth.

Just two weeks earlier, a similar attack in the same region claimed the lives of at least 25 people, underscoring the persistent instability and growing humanitarian toll.

Local officials and humanitarian agencies have condemned the killings and called for urgent action to de-escalate the conflict and protect vulnerable communities.