Nigerian police have arrested 26 individuals suspected of carrying out a deadly assault in Yelewata, a village in Benue State, where 47 people were killed in a coordinated attack last week, according to the country’s Inspector General of Police.
The police chief, Kayode Egbetokun, made the announcement during a press briefing held in Abuja on Tuesday. He disclosed that the arrests took place predominantly on 22 June 2025, and came in response to mounting public outcry and direct orders from President Bola Tinubu.
Two of the attackers were reportedly killed by security forces during their intervention, while over 100 residents were displaced from the affected area.
This development follows President Tinubu’s visit to Makurdi, where he met with community leaders and government officials, including SGF George Akume and traditional rulers. The President, visibly angered by the scale of the massacre, had demanded swift action from security agencies.
“How come no one has been arrested for committing this heinous crime in Yelewata?” Tinubu reportedly asked the police chief. “The criminals must be arrested immediately.”
In a broader crackdown on rising violence in central Nigeria, the IGP also revealed the arrest of 22 suspects in Plateau State over the murder of nine travellers, and five suspects in Benue for the killing of two additional victims.
The President also directed the DSS and the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) to bolster surveillance efforts and intelligence gathering to track and apprehend the perpetrators.
Yelewata’s tragedy has reignited concerns over Nigeria’s ongoing farmer-herder conflicts and the government’s ability to address rising insecurity across the country’s central region.
