Yelwata Massacre Survivor Tells U.S. Lawmakers How She Lost Five Children

A survivor of the June 2025 Yelwata massacre in Benue State, Msurshima Apeh, on Thursday, November 20, delivered a heartbreaking testimony before the United States Congress, recounting how armed attackers murdered her five children during a night raid on their camp.

Naija News reports that Apeh spoke virtually before the U.S. House Subcommittee on Africa, during a hearing triggered by President Donald Trump’s decision to reinstate Nigeria on the Country of Particular Concern list over alleged religious persecution.

The mother, visibly distressed as she relived the incident, narrated how her camp was ambushed.

“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 said.

Apeh told lawmakers that after the attackers unleashed waves of violence, they set the facility on fire.

“When the torture had finished at some point in time, they poured petrol on the building and the majority of them were set ablaze,” Apeh recalled.

According to her, she survived by climbing a tree, even as her children cried for help below.

She said, “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.”

Apeh said she eventually fled into the bush and was later rescued.

“I ran out into the bush at some point, and those who came for rescue will now bring me out of that place… we were now relocated to a new camp,” she said.

Naija News recalls that the Yelwata attack, carried out in June 2025 by suspected armed herdsmen, left many dead, including civilians and security personnel.

Entire homes and market stalls were torched, with petrol used to set structures ablaze. The massacre left several internally displaced families devastated, including reports of one family losing 15 members.