Governor Hyacinth Alia confirmed on Sunday that suspected herdsmen from Nasarawa State killed 59 people in Yelwata, a border town between Benue and Nasarawa.
While addressing journalists at Government House, Alia explained that security agencies conducted a physical headcount of the victims in collaboration with the families. Among those killed were military and civil defence personnel who fought to defend the town.
Governor Alia acknowledged Nasarawa State Governor Abdullahi Sule for sharing intelligence on the attack, which also claimed the life of a woman on the Nasarawa side.
He spoke while receiving a report from the panel of inquiry investigating militia activity in the Sankera axis. He pledged to forward the report to the appropriate authorities and ensure investigations are carried out on those mentioned to restore peace in the region.
Meanwhile, residents staged a protest in Benue on Sunday, 15 June 2025, over the renewed wave of violence. Angry youths gathered at the Wurukum food basket roundabout in Makurdi from 8 a.m., demanding government action.
Popular social media influencer Martin Otse, widely known as VeryDarkMan, later joined the protesters.
Pope Leo XIV condemned the killings, calling them a “terrible massacre” in which mostly displaced civilians were murdered with “extreme cruelty.” During his address before the Angelus prayer at the Vatican, the Pope expressed deep concern over the violence in Nigeria and prayed for “security, justice, and peace” in the country, particularly for rural Christian communities in Benue whom he described as “relentless victims of violence.”
Presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga, in a statement, said President Bola Tinubu had directed security chiefs to carry out earlier orders to secure Benue. On the president’s directive, intelligence officials, police, and military personnel have since arrived in the state to coordinate security operations and restore order.