Over 107 survivors of the June 13 Yelwata attack in Guma Local Government Area (LGA) of Benue State are still languishing at the Benue State University Teaching Hospital (BSUTH), where they are receiving treatment for injuries sustained during the attack.

The Permanent Secretary of the Benue State Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management/Benue State Emergency Management Agency (BSEMA), Sir James Iorpuu, made the disclosure in Makurdi on Tuesday, July 15, 2025, when he interacted with newsmen alongside his Nasarawa and Plateau State counterparts.

Iorpuu, who lamented the level of carnage unleashed in Yelwata by the armed marauders, prayed that there would be no repeat of the Yelwata incident in any part of the state.

He said, “So far, 107 survivors of the Yelwata attack are still receiving treatment at the Benue State University Teaching Hospital, BSUTH, Makurdi and other hospitals in that attack that claimed over 200 lives.

“What happened in Yelwata has never happened in any part of the world before; where people are sleeping and militia herders came and set them on fire, killing over 200, injuring hundreds of others. We pray that the Yelwata incident will not happen again in any part of Benue State.”

He stated that his colleagues from Plateau and Nasarawa States were in the state to sympathise with the people and seek ways to synergise with Benue to put an end to armed men invasions and killings in the Middle Belt.

“We are going to work together as a team and find ways to stop what is happening, especially the attackers who pass through Nasarawa State to attack us in Benue State.”

Speaking, the Director General of Nasarawa State Emergency Management Agency (NASEMA), Mr Ben Akwash, said they were in the state to condole the people over the Yelwata attack and also explore ways of collaboration to put an end to the attacks.

Akwash, who noted that disasters do not give notice before occurrence, also disclosed their plans to work together and prepare against flood disasters in their respective states. According to him, “Benue easily stands out in terms of disaster management, and we have come to understudy their model so we can always sensitise our people for us not to be caught sleeping.”

The Executive Secretary of Plateau State Emergency Management Agency, Mr Sunday Abdu, who also condoled the people of Benue State over the Yelwata attack, said they were deeply touched by the incident, emphasising that “the pain of Benue people is also our pain because we are one, and an injury to one is an injury to all.

“So we want to assure you that Benue is dear to our hearts, not only as the food basket of the nation but as one of us. Remember to pray for North Central Zone. This type of aggression visited on Benue is the same that is being visited on Plateau and other states in the Middle Belt, and we pray God to secure our families, our children, and women.

“Benue has suffered a lot, and we have come here to encourage you and also to understudy Benue’s response to humanitarian situations.” (Daily Sun)

•Sir James Iorpuu (middle), Perm Sec, Humanitarian Affairs, with counterparts Ben Akwash (Nasarawa) and Sunday Abdu (Plateau)