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Benue attack survivor recounts how terrorists killed her five children during the June 2025 Yelwata assault.
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Testimony presented at US Congress hearing linked to Nigeria’s return to the CPC list over alleged religious persecution.
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Attack triggered national outrage as Tinubu, security chiefs, and stakeholders moved to address escalating violence.
A survivor of the June 2025 Yelwata massacre in Benue State, Msurshima Apeh, has given a heartbreaking testimony before the United States Congress, describing how terrorists murdered her five children during the night attack on her camp.
Apeh appeared virtually before the House Subcommittee on Africa on Thursday as US lawmakers reviewed former President Donald Trump’s decision to return Nigeria to the Country of Particular Concern (CPC) list due to alleged religious persecution.
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She recounted that the attackers struck around 9pm while families were asleep, locking occupants inside the camp before unleashing gunfire and machete attacks. According to her, the attackers later set the building ablaze after dousing it with petrol.
Apeh said she escaped death by climbing a nearby tree but was forced to watch as her children were slaughtered below. She later fled into the surrounding bush, where rescuers eventually found her and relocated her to another camp.
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The Yelwata incident, carried out by suspected armed herdsmen, resulted in the deaths of numerous civilians and five security personnel—including two soldiers and a police officer. Several homes, market stalls, and shelters for internally displaced persons were burnt, with some families entirely wiped out.
President Bola Tinubu suspended other engagements to visit Benue shortly after the attack. He met community stakeholders, assessed the destruction, and visited victims receiving treatment in hospitals.
Inspector-General of Police Kayode Egbetokun described the assault as a direct threat to national sovereignty and announced the deployment of additional operatives to the region. He confirmed that 26 suspects had been arrested in connection with the killings.
