A leaked memo shows DSS warned of attacks in Benue and Nasarawa weeks before 200 were killed.
Despite early intel, troops were misled by fake alerts, allowing the real assault on Yelewata.
A leaked memo has revealed that the Department of State Services (DSS) issued a warning in May to the commander of Operation Whirl Stroke (OPWS), Moses Gara, about potential attacks on communities in Benue and Nasarawa states.
Operation Whirl Stroke, which was initiated by the Defense Headquarters in 2018, is a multi-agency security operation comprising the military, police, and DSS. It was set up to address the security challenges in Benue and surrounding states.
Despite the intelligence warning, on June 13, armed attackers stormed Yelewata and Daudu communities in Guma Local Government Area of Benue State. The assault, which claimed the lives of over 200 people, including displaced persons and local farmers has raised questions about the effectiveness of preemptive security measures.
According to the memo dated May 13, the DSS informed the OPWS commander that it had credible intelligence suggesting that suspected Fulani militias were planning coordinated attacks on several communities in Awe Local Government Area of Nasarawa State and across the Benue-Nasarawa border region. The motive, according to the intelligence report, was allegedly in retaliation for the seizure of cattle by state authorities.
The DSS specifically mentioned targeted communities including Mararaba, Jangargari, Wurgi, Gidan Antonny, Akon, Usende, Gaar, Vandikya, Chiata, Dooga, Gidan Baban Yara, Apelle, Pantaki, Kaambe, and areas around the stadium. Yelewata, which later came under heavy attack, was also listed among the at-risk areas.
The memo noted that suspected Fulani mercenaries had been holding strategic meetings in Akpanaja, Rukuhi, and Andori, settlements located in Doma Local Government Area of Nasarawa. Armed men were said to be stationed in forests across Amako, Igbabo (between Mkoma and Doka), and Ikom, close to Yelwata-Udei-Ukohol and Kadarko Railway in Keana LGA, from where they planned to strike Tiv settlements.
Targeted areas reportedly included Agatu, Gwer West, Gwer East, parts of Makurdi, Guma, and Loko communities in Benue State.
In response to the rising violence, OPWS commander Moses Gara convened a high-level meeting in May with leaders of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders’ Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) in Makurdi. The engagement, which included local officials and other security agencies, was aimed at addressing the persistent farmer-herder conflicts, retaliatory killings, kidnapping, and cattle rustling across Benue.
In a statement issued on May 28, Lawal Osabo, acting assistant director of army public relations for the 401 Special Forces Brigade/OPWS Sector 1, said the concerns raised during the dialogue would be escalated to the state government and relevant agencies.
Despite these efforts, the June 13 massacre in Yelewata still occurred. In a post-attack briefing, the Chief of Defense Staff, General Christopher Musa, confirmed that troops had actually been deployed to Yelewata on the day of the attack. However, he said the soldiers were misdirected by false intelligence indicating that another village was under imminent threat. By the time the troops responded to the decoy, the assailants struck Yelewata.
“There was insider information. On the actual day the attack happened, the troops were there. A fake alert came in about another village, and when the troops moved there, the attackers went for Yelewata,” Musa explained.
Efforts to get a formal reaction from key military and intelligence officials proved unsuccessful. Calls to Edward Buba, director of defence media operations, went unanswered. Likewise, Onyinyechi Anele, the director of army public relations, declined to comment, instead directing inquiries to the OPWS commander.
The DSS was also unavailable for comment, as the agency lacks a publicly designated spokesperson. At the time of this report, OPWS commander Moses Gara had not been reached.
