Former Senior Special Assistant to ex-Governor Samuel Ortom, Prince Aondona Isaka Ornguga, has revealed the heart-wrenching loss of 23 family members in the latest round of attacks in Benue State.
Ornguga, who initially disclosed the tragedy via a Facebook post, said the victims were all from his maternal family, killed during a night raid on Yelwata in Guma Local Government Area.
His earlier post mentioned “over 15” family members lost, but a follow-up confirmed the toll had risen to 23.
“Finally I have gotten my own share of the Fulani herders’ attack,” Ornguga wrote. “I lost over 15 members from my maternal family at yesterday night’s Yelwata attack. My family alone lost over 23 members, and our governor is claiming that only 59 died. What is the governor hiding from us?”
The former aide’s account sheds a personal and emotional light on the scale of devastation unleashed by the attack.
He also lamented the loss of two cousins, Victor Utim and Mathew Iormba, with whom he had recently spoken.
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“Utim just wrote JAMB and we were working on getting admission for him,” Ornguga said. “Iormba was a pharmacist. He had a tall dream, but look at how it all ended for them. And for Utim, this is not what we discussed.”
His sorrowful reflections underscored the human cost of the continued violence in Benue, where attacks blamed on suspected herders have continued to devastate communities.
Ornguga’s words join a chorus of growing frustration over what many see as inadequate government response and underreporting of casualties.
The mass killing in Yelwata is one of several recent attacks in the state that have reignited concerns about security, accountability, and transparency in the handling of rural violence in Nigeria.
With fresh graves and shattered dreams, the people of Benue—particularly the families of the slain—are left grappling with grief and demanding justice.