Tension gripped parts of Benue State on Sunday as angry youths staged a massive protest, blocking the Abuja-Makurdi highway in reaction to the continued killings across the state.

Dressed in black and wielding palm fronds and placards with heart-wrenching inscriptions, the demonstrators barricaded the busy highway, bringing vehicular movement to a standstill and causing widespread gridlock.

Naijaonpoint reports that the protest came barely 24 hours after a fresh attack by suspected armed herdsmen on Yelewata community in Guma Local Government Area, where over 200 people were reportedly killed.

The tragedy befell Yelewata on Friday night when suspected armed herdsmen initiated a lethal assault at approximately 10:00 pm, resulting in multiple fatalities and numerous injuries.

Reports obtained by Naijaonpoint on Saturday morning indicated that at least 16 individuals suffered from varying levels of injuries during the attack.

The precise count of those deceased remains unverified, as authorities are actively collecting information from the incident site.

In reaction to a distress signal, personnel from the Nigerian Army and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) proceeded to the location but were ambushed in Daudu while on their way.

This ambush led to the unfortunate deaths of two soldiers and one Civil Defence officer.