A survivor of the Yelwata attack in Benue State, Msurshima Apeh, has shared her traumatic experience before the United States Congress, describing how she witnessed the killing of her five children during the brutal incident.
Apeh testified on Thursday before the House Subcommittee on Africa, which convened to examine President Donald Trump’s decision to return Nigeria to the Country of Particular Concern (CPC) list.
She described the night armed men invaded the camp where hundreds of displaced families were sleeping.
“When we went to sleep that night around 9 pm, the Fulani terrorists attacked us where we were sleeping. We were locked inside the camp, Yelwata, and they were butchering them with cutlasses and shooting guns as well.
When the torture had finished at some point in time, they poured petrol on the building and the majority of them were set ablaze,” she testified virtually from Benue State.
Apeh recounted climbing a tree to hide as her children cried beneath her.
“In the course of this action, I saw a tree when I lifted my eyes. I raised my hands on the tree and climbed up where I was able to hide myself. My five children that I left below were crying, and in my presence, they were being slaughtered by the terrorists,” she said.
She explained that she later fled into the bush before rescue teams arrived.
“I ran out into the bush at some point, and those who came for rescue will now bring me out of that place at some point, and I was able to witness the whole drama. When the people came, we were now relocated to a new camp,” she added.
The Yelwata attack occurred in June 2025 in Guma Local Government Area of Benue State. Reports estimated the death toll between 100 and 200 people, while over 3,000 residents were displaced. Many survivors were later moved to camps in Nasarawa State.
Civil rights groups contested the government’s figures, insisting that as many as 200 people may have died in the attack. Security sources linked the assailants to suspected armed herdsmen.
The killings sparked nationwide outrage. President Bola Tinubu condemned the incident, visited survivors in hospitals, and ordered a swift security response.
Emergency officials later raised concerns about severe shortages of food, healthcare, and bedding for displaced families. The Police announced the arrest of 26 suspects in connection with the attack.
The tragedy further underscored the longstanding farmer–herder conflict in Nigeria’s Middle Belt and intensified fears of religiously motivated violence.
Apeh’s testimony before the US Congress came after Trump’s October decision to restore Nigeria to the CPC list, citing systematic Christian persecution and confirming that military options were being considered.
Trump’s remarks heightened scrutiny of Nigeria’s handling of Islamist attacks, but the Federal Government rejected the allegations.
President Bola Tinubu maintained that Nigeria upholds religious freedom and stated that the nation is not “religiously intolerant” toward its citizens.
What You Should Know
The Yelwata massacre remains one of the deadliest attacks in Benue State in 2025, leaving over 3,000 people displaced and drawing international attention.
The testimony of Msurshima Apeh highlighted the severity of the assault and revived conversations around Nigeria’s farmer–herder crisis, religious tensions, and the country’s renewed placement on the US CPC list under President Trump’s directive.
