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The Benue State Government has confirmed that 107 victims of the recent Yelwata attack are still receiving medical care at the Benue State University Teaching Hospital (BSUTH) in Makurdi.
This was disclosed on Tuesday by Mr. James Iorpuu, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management and the Executive Secretary of the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), during a press briefing in Makurdi.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the Yelwata community in Guma Local Government Area came under a brutal attack by suspected bandits on June 13, leading to the deaths of more than 100 people.
Iorpuu decried the level of violence, stating that the state has endured persistent and coordinated deadly attacks by armed groups since 2011. Describing the Yelwata incident as “an atrocity never witnessed anywhere else in the world,” he prayed that such tragedy would never befall any other community again.
He also expressed deep appreciation to his counterparts from Nasarawa and Plateau states for visiting to offer their condolences.
Speaking during the solidarity visit, Mr. Sunday Abdu, Executive Secretary of Plateau State SEMA, and Mr. Ben Akwash, Director-General of Nasarawa State SEMA, said their visit was to stand in solidarity with the people of Benue and to show compassion following the Yelwata massacre.
Abdu noted, “We came to express our condolences and to reaffirm that, no matter the challenges, Benue and Nigeria as a whole will continue to rise.” He also mentioned that they were in the state to study the operational structure of Benue SEMA to learn and improve on their own agencies back home.
Akwash, in his remarks, emphasised the historical and cultural ties between the three states, saying, “Benue, Nasarawa, and Plateau were once one before state creation divided us. We still share a bond.” He added that their visit was also aimed at observing and learning from Benue’s emergency response strategies.
Both officials called for continued prayers for peace and security in the North Central region, stressing the need for unity in the face of repeated attacks on innocent civilians.
