June 23, (THEWILL) – “The security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of the government.” – Section 14(2)(b), of the 1999 Constitution as amended.
After the villainous and senseless Agatu killings in February 2016, accompanied by the usual condemnations, it was hoped that the affliction of Benue people would not rise a second time. Contrary to the assumption, the evil struck again defiantly. The recent attack launched on Yelewata, Nyiev Council Ward of Guma local government by marauding Fulani terrorists was a deadly, unprovoked onslaught against a sleepy, defenceless community taken too far. According to reports, it was a strategic attack launched on three flanks with a standby fourth reinforcement. The death toll currently stands at over 200 persons, including children, while many are still missing.
Since 2016, when killing became a pastime, Benue communities have known no peace. Many villages have been raided by Fulani herdsmen, farms destroyed, and livelihoods wrecked by attackers. Note that most attacks by Fulani terrorists come with prior notice and warning – this one was not an exception. People reported the threat to the authorities concerned. But as usual, there was no action to nip the attack in the bud. And they arrived undeterred in the dead of the night, set homes ablaze and murdered innocent people. Terrified survivors fled for their lives into nearby bushes as a last resort.
In February, residents say, attacks in Agatu and Apa Local Government Areas, all in Benue State, left more than 60 people dead. Community leaders reported free movement of attackers in large numbers on motorcycles, armed with AK-47s, yet no security agency intercepted them despite the proximity of a military base. Similarly, before the attack at Iwili, Ukum LGA in April 2025, locals, according to reports, had informed the security operatives of strange armed men gathering in nearby bushes before the massacre, but nothing was done as well. Over 40 people were killed in that attack. “In Benue State alone, over 6,000 people have been killed in attacks by suspected Fulani militias, bandits, and terrorist groups in the first five months of this year, according to conflict-tracking data published by TruthNigeria and verified with local humanitarian agencies.”
What is happening today in Benue is a deliberate plot to annihilate a people and take over their ancestral fertile land. The script is reminiscent of what is playing out on the Plateau and Southern Kaduna. While criminals justify the killings as retaliation for stealing or the killing of cows, the motive is much more. The government’s inertia on killings in Benue and constant blood-letting in Nigeria is troubling. It remains to be known why security agencies, the government at the federal and state remained silent on the actions of the same people who purposely herd cows directly into farmlands, shot videos of themselves perpetrating the heinous and dastardly acts to validate their claims, and shared the same on social media. Sadly, providing a lasting solution to these incessant killings of people, not only in Benue but in Nigeria, has become a pipe dream and a colossal leadership failure, criticised before by those in government now.
Governor Hyacinth Alia, in his capacity, seems to be overwhelmed. Thus, he has no clue as to what actions to take and end the blood bath while the government at the centre is busy playing politics of 2027. This killing has once again heightened the urgent call for stringent security reforms and constitutional amendments that will enable the state police. This will help state governors to take active charge of every precarious security situation rather than relying on the Inspector General of Police for intervention, which usually comes late.
Quick implementation of state police is crucial before the people resort to self-help. Those who could be abused by the governors for political reasons should kindly raise another point of order. In fact, it was the dumbest view ever made. How effective is the police force in the hands of the federal government? Should Nigerians continue to die, hoping that the federal police is the answer when it is not?
Reacting to the carnage done in Benue, Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, in the State House, Abuja, Press Release said; the government of Tinubu has directed an immediate redeployment of service chiefs and ordered a stake-holder meeting between the warring groups as a panacea for lasting peace. The statement reads in part, “…President Tinubu has equally charged the governor of Benue State with convening reconciliation meetings and dialogue among the warring parties to end the incessant bloodshed and bring lasting peace and harmonious coexistence between farmers, herders, and communities. The latest news of wanton killings in Benue State is very depressing. We must not allow this bloodletting to continue unabated. Enough is now enough.
Onanuga quoted the president to have saying, “I have directed the security agencies to act decisively and arrest perpetrators of these evil acts on all sides of the conflict and prosecute them. Political and community leaders in Benue State must act responsibly and avoid inflammatory utterances that could further increase tensions and killings. This is the time for Governor Alia to act as a statesman and immediately lead the process of dialogue and reconciliation that will bring peace to Benue. Our people must live in peace, and it is possible when leaders across the divides work together in harmony and differences are identified and addressed with fairness, openness and justice.”
A peaceful protest organised by Benue youths against the killings led by the Very Dark Man (VDM) in Makurdi, Benue state capital, drew the ire of the government. Anti-riot police squad rose to action, disrupted and dispersed protesters with tear gas. It was reported that security drones were flown over the protest area, accompanied by Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs). Two persons were arrested for allegedly “inciting unrest while the attackers of the Yelwata community roam freely. It is disheartening to always see the police, who are incapacitated when citizens face danger, surprisingly display full force against defenceless people whose only crime is bringing the attention of the government to teething societal challenges.
If the Benue government can act swiftly to disrupt protesters, why has it become a challenge and take ages to stop these attacks? According to TruthNigeria, in Benue, “security is outsourced to God, and welfare is measured by how many coffins can be afforded after each attack. The people are not just angry. They are heartbroken. They feel abandoned. And increasingly, they are concluding that this is not negligence. It is betrayal. It is time to stop asking whether the government will act. Until then, the message from the Nigerian government is tragically clear: Mourn quietly. Protest, and we’ll silence you. Die, and you’ll be buried in silence.” It is only in Nigeria that killers are pacified for their barbarism while the victims are forced to accept their fate without justice, compensation or even a condolence visit in the name of peaceful coexistence.
Eventually, the President paid a supposed condolence visit to Benue, but what should have ordinarily served as a grieving and sober moment turned into a boisterous political rally or an endorsement, as drums were rolled out for the president. In the end, he declined an on-the-spot visit to Yelwata – the affected community on account of the bad road. One is forced to ask – who builds the roads? Many Nigerians have refused to believe that people in government do not have an idea or a hand in the constant security challenges facing the nation. If former president Goodluck Jonathan could accuse members of his cabinet of being members of Boko Haram, believe contrary security briefings to your peril. As Benue bleeds, the government’s inertia speaks volumes. Recently, the governor had blamed politicians for fanning the embers of discord. But was blaming unnamed persons good enough to allow senseless killings to go unpunished?
The answer, according to TruthNigeria, may lie “in the political economy of silence. Speaking out against Fulani militias, many of whom are foreign fighters operating under the umbrella of armed herder groups, would force the federal government to acknowledge what many already believe: that a coordinated ethno-religious campaign of displacement is underway. And acknowledging that would mean declaring war on those enabling it. Politically, that is inconvenient. So, the government stays silent. The president avoids the cameras. The army blames “unknown gunmen.” And the bodies keep piling up. Benue State and indeed Nigerians murdered by these people deserve protection, justice, and peace.” It is quite unfortunate!
***written by Sunday Onyemaechi Eze
