Nearly a month prior to the June 13 massacre that killed over 200 people in Yelewata, Nigeria’s Department of State Services (DSS) alerted military authorities to upcoming attacks on towns in Benue and Nasarawa states, according to a leaked memo from the DSS.

The DSS memo, which TheCable was able to get, was dated May 13 and was written to Commander Moses Gara of Operation Whirl Stroke (OPWS). It described the immediate threats posed by suspected Fulani militias. According to the notice, these organizations were preparing retaliation attacks in response to the purported confiscation of cattle by state officials, escalating the already unstable security situation in the North Central region of Nigeria.

Yelewata, the community with the highest number of fatalities, Daudu, Akon, Chiata, Kaambe, Vandikya, Apelle, and portions of Makurdi, Agatu, and Gwer East and West local government areas were among the communities specifically listed by the DSS as being in danger. The states of Benue and Nasarawa, which have seen recurrent tensions associated with farmer-herder clashes, are included in these targeted areas.

According to the document, the attackers had “stationed their men at designated forests for a coordinated offensive,” and “reports indicate that [the militias] have been holding a series of meetings in Akpanaja, Rukuhi, and Andori settlements in Doma LGA.” Additional information revealed that the armed groups were sheltering in isolated forest areas, such as the Ikom forest near the Yelwata-Udei-Ukohol axis and the Amako and Igbabo forests near Mkoma and Doka villages.

Missed Signals and Misdirection on the Day of the Attack

Due in significant part to deliberate misdirection, security authorities were unable to stop the attack in spite of these early warnings. General Christopher Musa, Nigeria’s Chief of Defense Staff, said that OPWS personnel were in the area on the day of the slaughter but were redirected by untrue claims that another community was being attacked.

“Because of the insider information, on the actual day that it happened, the troops were there,” Musa stated. “There was a fake attack in the other village. When the troops moved in, that is when they came to attack the other one.”

By using this cunning tactic, the attackers were able to avoid the military presence and carry out the ambush in Yelewata, utterly surprising the locals and defenders. The slaughter, which was widely denounced throughout Nigeria, has raised questions about how quickly military personnel respond to intelligence reports and the overall effectiveness of Nigeria’s counterterrorism tactics.

Conversations and Stakeholder Gatherings Prior to the Massacre

Further complicating the situation is the revelation that just weeks before the attack, OPWS leadership held a key stakeholder meeting aimed at addressing the escalating violence in the region.

Commander Moses Gara held a negotiation session with members of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders’ Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), community leaders, and security officials in Makurdi, the capital of Benue State, on May 28. The meeting’s goal was to address ongoing issues like as kidnappings, cattle rustling, retaliatory attacks, and the protracted farmer-herder conflict.

Acting Assistant Director of Army Public Relations Major Lawal Osabo revealed that the Benue State Government and other security agencies would be consulted over the serious issues brought up during the meeting in order to determine the best course of action.

However, considering the magnitude and coordination of the Yelewata onslaught less than three weeks later, detractors contend that the high-level engagement did not produce noticeable consequences. A wider issue of operational misunderstandings and intelligence bottlenecks between Nigeria’s security apparatus’s many branches has also been brought up by some security professionals.

Growing Calls for Accountability and Reform

Calls for more responsibility from security and intelligence institutions have been rekindled in the wake of the Yelewata catastrophe. Despite the DSS letter’s warnings being clear and precise, lawmakers, human rights organizations, and civil society organizations are calling for open inquiries into why the report failed to result in preventive action.

The federal government is under increasing pressure to review the organization and coordination of security actions throughout Nigeria in light of the findings, especially in areas that are prone to conflict like Benue and Nasara.

As the nation mourns its fallen, the weight of each loss deepens the call for change—only through timely, credible intelligence and committed protection can we honor their memory and safeguard the living.

By Erewunmi peace