By Mike Odeh James and Olikita Ekani
In the late hours of Thursday, August 8, 2024, the world was watching the high drama of the Paris Olympics. American pundits were watching Donald Trump’s Mar a Lago Presser.
But Akika Tsav, a farmer and resident of Ayati village in Central Nigeria, was watching his world fall apart.
Tsav’s peaceful town of Ayati in Benue State, Nigeria, was again heading into mourning. Ayati, a tranquil precinct in Ukum County, Benue State, has been ravaged by wave after wave of jihadist terrorist attacks in recent years. Located 121 miles northeast of Makurdi, the State capital, this once-peaceful community has been grappling with traumatic loss, its residents struggling to find security, food or even solace. The cruelty they endured last week will remind many of the horrors of the Rwandan genocide or even of the European Holocaust.
“It was around 4:30 pm when I heard the sound of motorcycles approaching our compound,” Tsav told Truthnigeria. “I was by the fireside, preparing dinner for my two kids, when suddenly I heard the staccato of automatic rifles. I knew that sound all too well, having heard it just two weeks prior.”
Tsav quickly sprang into action, gathering his two sons and hiding them in a nearby ditch. From their hiding place, he witnessed the unimaginable horror.
“I counted up to 15 gunmen shooting indiscriminately into huts and at people running for their lives. They shot point-blank at anyone they saw, ensuring those shots were killed with a bullet to the head.”
Tsav’s voice cracked as he described the slaughter of his family members. “I watched in horror as my two brothers, my cousin, and her 8-month-old baby were gunned down before my eyes. My mother, over 90 years old, died of shock. The trauma of that day will haunt me forever.”
50 Killed by Gun-Toting Fulani Bikers
Survivors of the Ayati massacre, still reeling from the trauma, have so far counted about 50 lifeless bodies, brutally shot point-blank by approximately 30 terrorists speaking the Fulda language of the Fulani tribe. The Fulani Islamist bandit gangs have been linked to sectarian massacres and kidnapping for ransom for more than a decade.
Ayati Ahangba, another resident and Benue State Government official, recalled it, his voice cracking with emotion. “The terrorists, 30 gunmen, came to Ayati on motorbikes, seeking revenge after a shootout with a military checkpoint the previous day, (Aug. 7)” Ahangba said.
“They retreated to the forest, only to return the next day, taking the bush path to invade Ayati. Like they always do, they shot indiscriminately at everything that moved,” Ahangba said, tears streaming down his face.
The tragedy hit close to home for Ahangba, who lost three immediate brothers—Joseph Ayati, Ahijo Ayati, and Ordagi Ayati. “Five of my cousins were also killed,” he added, his voice barely above a whisper.
The official says he struggles to come to terms with the loss. “I don’t know what I am living for again, ” Ahangba cried out. His words echo the anguish and despair gripping the survivors left to pick up the pieces.
Catholic Church attacked
“In a heinous attack, the Fulani terrorists also stormed St. Peter Catholic Church in Ayati, where innocent worshippers had gathered for Holy Mass. “The congregation, unaware of the horror that was about to unfold, was mercilessly gunned down, leaving 20 innocent lives lost,” Ahangba said.
“The attackers, with prior knowledge of the ongoing mass, deliberately targeted their church,” said Terso James.
“They opened fire on the unsuspecting worshippers, killing those who attempted to flee. Their bodies were left to lie in the sacred space where they had sought solace and peace.”
Among the innocent lives lost was 16-year-old altar server Denen Korna.
“Denen, who had dedicated himself to serving the Lord, was tragically struck down while performing his duties as an altar boy. His tender age and innocent heart make his senseless murder all the more heart-breaking,” Ahangba said.
Why They Attacked
According to Tsav, the Fulani terrorists, who had been attacking other counties in North East Benue State, had decide to make the village an example of the consequence of resistance to Fulani land takeover. Ayati residents had dare to resist the free grazing of Fulani cattle herds on the croplands of the farmers.
“They had tried to graze on our farmlands in early July, but we chased them away,” Tsav recalled.
“They made disparaging remarks about our faith and community, saying we Catholics would pay heavily for not allowing them to graze on our lands. And pay we did! On July 2nd, the terrorists attacked the local church, killing 11 innocent faithful,” Tsav said.
TruthNigeria has found no evidence that the community of Ayati resisted the attack with armed men, or that it even had a self-defence team to protect the precinct. But such massacres usually have been subsumed under the term, “communal clashes,” or “farmer-herder clashes” in annual Religious Freedom Reports of the U.S. Department of State. Former U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria Mary Beth Leonard has dismissed recurring charges of sectarian persecution of Christians as fundamentally “conflicts over resource issues.” Her position accurately reflected the stance of the Nigerian government, according to The Epoch Times.
“By downplaying the ethnic, religious, and economic dimension of the carnage, State Department diplomats are appeasing the Nigerian government, misleading Congress, and deluding themselves,” former Assistant Secretary of State Robert Destro told The Epoch Times in 2022.
Ayati Water Wells Stuffed with Corpses, ponds poisoned, too
Tsav told TruthNigeria the community reported the July 2nd murders to the authorities, hoping for protection and justice. “But here we are again,” he said in tears. “We are facing another devastating attack.”
The survivors of the Ayati Precinct massacre are now facing a new nightmare: a looming epidemic outbreak. Charred and decomposing bodies litter the farms and homesteads, and water wells have been poisoned by rotting corpses.
Health officials are racing against time to contain the crisis, but their efforts are being hindered by the sheer scale of the devastation. Tsav, a survivor, described the horrific scene:
“Our wells were filled with corpses, a gruesome sight that will haunt us forever. The Fulanis showed no mercy, stuffing dead bodies into our wells, but that’s not all—the terrorists also poisoned the ponds with Gammalin 20, a pesticide, ensuring that the survivors would be denied even a drop of clean water.
Tsav’s voice cracked with emotion as he lamented, “Our farms, our only source of livelihood, were either set ablaze or trampled by the terrorists’ cattle. We’re staring at a long, dark period of hunger and thirst.” The people of Ayati Precinct are crying out for help, their voices barely audible over the sounds of despair and desperation. Will anyone hear their pleas before it’s too late?
Mike Odeh James and Olikita Ekani are conflict reporters for TruthNigeria