A survivor of the recent deadly attack in Yelwata, Benue State has shared his harrowing experience of losing 20 family members who were burnt alive during the violent assault on their community.
Michael Ajah, speaking in a video that has gone viral on social media, recounted how armed assailants set their homes ablaze, resulting in the tragic death of his entire family. According to Ajah, 11 family members perished in a single house while all his property and goods were completely destroyed in the attack.
"My whole family members died the day before yesterday. There were 20 of them, that is my own family members. I'm not talking about any other thing. That's my own family members," Ajah said, pointing to what remained of his burnt shop.
"They burnt my clothes. They burnt everything. They burnt our food, all my family members. What we came out with are the clothes we were wearing on that day," he continued.
Night of Terror
Describing the events of that fateful night, Ajah explained that it had been raining in the evening, and he was asleep around 10:20 pm when gunshots erupted nearby. Before they could fully comprehend what was happening, armed men had surrounded their homes.
When asked how he identified the attackers, Ajah stated, "Because they were speaking and I was inside the room, and I heard them clearly. Nobody told me. I was inside the room there, and they surrounded that room. I escaped narrowly. My brothers burnt in this house, some escaped. My dad, burnt in this house."
Presidential Response
In response to the massacre that has sparked nationwide outrage, President Bola Tinubu arrived in Makurdi, the Benue State capital, on Tuesday. The President landed at the Makurdi Airport, located at the Tactical Air Command of the Nigerian Air Force Base, at approximately 12:58 pm.
President Tinubu is scheduled to meet with key stakeholders in the state following the Yelwata massacre in Guma Local Government Area, which has drawn condemnation from across the country.
The attack in Yelwata represents one of the most severe incidents of communal violence in the region in recent times, with reports suggesting significant casualties beyond those mentioned by Ajah in his account.
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