45 Killed in Deadly Attack on Central Nigerian

"Not fewer than 45 people have been confirmed killed by armed bandits in an early Saturday morning attack on Yelwata," said Tersoo Kula, spokesperson for the state governor.

Local residents fear the death toll may be far higher. "It is terribly bad, many people have died," said Amineh Liapha Hir, a resident of Yelwata. "It could be more than 100, and many houses were also burnt."

Police spokesperson Udeme Edet confirmed the attack to AFP, noting that security forces engaged the assailants in a gun battle.

According to Kula, the assault began around 10:00 p.m. local time (2100 GMT) and lasted approximately two hours. In addition to the fatalities, multiple homes were set ablaze. Government officials and the state police commissioner later visited the scene and confirmed 45 deaths.

The attack is the latest in a series of violent incidents in Nigeria’s central region—commonly referred to as the "Middle Belt"—where longstanding tensions between Muslim Fulani herders and predominantly Christian farming communities often erupt into bloodshed, typically over disputes involving land and grazing rights.

Just two weeks earlier, gunmen killed 25 people in separate attacks in Benue State, underscoring the growing insecurity in the area.