By: Fabian Apechihin

Residents of Yelwata, Benue State, on Monday blocked the Makurdi–Abuja federal highway to protest the killing of three people in an early morning attack by suspected armed herdsmen.

Sources told Chronicle NG that the assailants invaded the community around 7 a.m., shooting indiscriminately. Three people were killed and three others injured.

In anger, residents placed the victims’ bodies on the road, halting traffic and preventing vehicles from passing.

Community youth leader Achii Mathias said, “The Fulanis again attacked our community this morning around 7 a.m., shooting sporadically. They killed three people and injured three others. As I speak, the Security Adviser to the governor and the Chairman of Guma LGA are here assessing the situation.”

When contacted, Benue State Police spokesperson DSP Udeme Edet said she had yet to receive an official report. “The moment I have the report, I will send it to you,” she stated.

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By: Fabian Apechihin

MAKURDI: The Forum of Ayatutu Professors (FAP) in Benue State has criticised the Federal Government for failing to show any deliberate or coherent strategy to address insecurity and terrorism in Nigeria, particularly in the Middle-Belt.

In a statement signed by Prof. Tor Iorapuu (Chairman) and Prof. Simon Irtwange (Secretary) of the Forum’s Board of Trustees and Council of Management, FAP dismissed claims that the country lacks sufficient security personnel to tackle the crisis.

The group’s remarks were issued in solidarity with Prof. Zacharys Gundu, who recently came under fire from Nasarawa State Governor Abdullahi Sule. They urged the Federal Government to move beyond “mere declarations” and implement “strict securitisation and territorialisation” of Nigeria’s borders to block terrorists, bandits, and foreign invaders.

“Nigeria is under siege, and the Federal Government has failed to demonstrate the will to protect the lives of its citizens,” the statement read. “What we are witnessing is not random violence but organised mass atrocities, particularly in the North Central region.”

FAP stressed that Nigeria has no shortage of capable military generals or skilled police officers, yet the country “bleeds daily.” They warned that the consequences of inaction are “worse than war,” pointing to decades of massacres in Benue, Plateau, and Southern Kaduna, where churches, schools, and communities have become “massacre memorials.”

The Forum cited recent examples, including the June 13–14 killings in Yelewata, Guma LGA, Benue State, where over 200 people were massacred, and the attack on Jebbu community in Plateau State, which occurred just a kilometre from a major military checkpoint.

FAP drew parallels to the United States’ response to the September 11 attacks, urging President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to “use all necessary and appropriate force” to neutralise those behind the violence. They also challenged Governor Sule to clear himself of allegations of complicity, including claims of pressuring a Myetti Allah leader to form a militia and engaging in land grabs from Tiv communities.

The group condemned what it called the government’s “over-focus on political moments and elections” while citizens face existential threats. “Citizens need freedom and security, not political rhetoric,” the statement said.

FAP called on the Federal Government to:

• Compensate all victims of attacks in Benue, Plateau, and Southern Kaduna.
• Include affected areas in the country’s Humanitarian Response Plan.
• Empower the proposed North Central Development Commission to restore livelihoods and protect farmers.
• Invite international agencies to investigate decades-long “deliberate annihilation” in Central Nigeria.

“The time for rhetoric is over. Nigeria must act decisively, or continue to watch its people be uprooted, humiliated, and slaughtered,” the Forum declared.

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A major blow was dealt to criminal elements in Zamfara State as the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) launched a successful airstrike on a large gathering of armed bandits attending a wedding ceremony at Asaula Hills, in Yankuzo Ward, Tsafe Local Government Area.

Zagazola Makama gathered that the precision strike, carried out in the afternoon of Tuesday, August 5, was based on credible intelligence from local sources and Human Intelligence (HUMINT) operatives.

The sources said that the intelligence revealed that scores of bandits from different enclaves were converging at Asaula Hill a rugged, elevated terrain for a mass wedding ceremony.

The sources said that at exactly 1444 hours, field reports confirmed the presence of a large number of heavily armed bandits, some on over 100 motorcycles, assembled at the location.

“In response, the air component of Operation FANSAN YAMMA, under the Nigerian Air Force’s Sector 2 Command, immediately deployed a fighter jet to engage the target,” the source said.

The strike was executed at about 1600 hours and caught the criminals by surprise at the peak of the celebration.

“The wedding brought together bandit factions from Faskari and Kankara LGAs in Katsina State, and other enclaves across Zamfara. Dozens were neutralised instantly, while many others were critically injured. The survivors were seen evacuating the wounded to Yankuzo village for treatment,” the source added.

Zagazola gathered that further reconnaissance and follow-up intelligence indicated that at least 10 identifiable bodies were recovered by the evening of the strike, while several others were burnt beyond recognition.

Local informants reported that no fewer than 33 injured bandits were receiving makeshift treatment at the Comprehensive Health Centre in Yankuzo and in nearby hamlets.

It is believed that the number of fatalities may be higher, considering the scale of the gathering and the intensity of the bombardment.

“Some of the injured bandits are being secretly treated by unqualified health workers. It is recommended that ground troops conduct mop-up operations both at the strike site and at suspected recovery points like Yankuzo village,”said the sources.

Operation FANSAN YAMMA, launched earlier this year, is a renewed joint military offensive across the North West, targeting known terrorist enclaves, logistics hubs, and command structures of bandit groups operating in Zamfara, Katsina, Kebbi, and Sokoto States.