(MENAFN) At least 102 individuals lost their lives in a brutal pre-dawn assault on the Yelewata community, located in the Guma Local Government Area of Benue State, Nigeria, according to local officials and eyewitnesses.

The violence unfolded late Friday night when armed assailants, believed to be criminal herders, launched an attack that extended into the early hours of Saturday.

This tragic incident is among the most lethal in recent months within Nigeria’s protracted conflict between farming communities and herders. The clash has escalated due to disputes involving land rights, water access, migration paths, and damage caused by livestock.

Dennis Denen Gbongbon, president of the Association of United Farmers Benue Valley, told Anadolu in a phone interview, “we have lost no fewer than 102 people, and over 100 others are in critical condition at the Benue State University Teaching Hospital (BSUTH) in Makurdi.” He added that medical staff urgently appealed for blood donations to save those injured.

A survivor named Godspower recounted the harrowing attack, stating, “the armed men poured petrol before setting fire to our shelters and burnt our people in their sleep.”

MENAFN15062025000045017281ID1109675576