IGP visits Benue after Yelewata massacre, orders tactical deployment

The Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, has arrived in Benue State in response to the horrifying massacre in Yelewata, Guma Local Government Area, where nearly 250 residents were killed in a brutal attack by suspected herdsmen.

The Nigeria Police Force confirmed the IGP’s visit in a brief statement posted on its official Facebook page on Monday, revealing that additional tactical teams have been deployed to help address the deteriorating security situation in the state.

The attack, which occurred in the outskirts of Makurdi, the state capital, saw scores of innocent civilians burned alive as armed assailants believed to be suspected Fulani herdsmen descended on the Yelewata community in a coordinated nighttime assault.

In the aftermath of the tragedy, hundreds of Benue youths took to the streets of Makurdi on Sunday, staging a protest to demand justice and call global attention to the ongoing killings and unchecked violence plaguing communities in the state.

The massacre has further intensified national calls for urgent security reforms and renewed scrutiny on the escalating herdsmen-farmer crisis that has displaced thousands across the Middle Belt region of Nigeria.