A survivor of the Yelwata massacre in Benue State, Msurshima Apeh, on Thursday gave a heart-wrenching account of how she watched armed attackers kill her five children during the June 2025 assault.
Apeh testified virtually before the United States House Subcommittee on Africa, which convened to review President Donald Trump’s redesignation of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC).
Recounting the horror, Apeh said armed men stormed the camp where hundreds of displaced families were asleep.
Apeh said, “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.”
She told the lawmakers that after the attackers slaughtered several occupants, they set the building ablaze.
She said, “When the torture had finished at some point in time, they poured petrol on the building and the majority of them were set ablaze.”
In an emotional narration, Apeh said she escaped death by climbing a tree she spotted in the chaos.
Apeh disclosed, “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 explained that she remained hidden as the attackers continued their rampage, saying the violence around her drowned her cries for help.
Apeh said she eventually fled into the bush before rescue teams arrived. She said, “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 relocated to a new camp.”
The Yelwata attack occurred in June 2025 in the Guma Local Government Area of Benue State. Early reports estimated the death toll between 100 and 200, while more than 3,000 residents were displaced.
Many survivors were later relocated to camps in neighbouring Nasarawa State.
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