*Tasks Alia On Reconciliation, As Pope Prays For Victims
PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has reaffirmed his commitment to restoring peace in Benue State, directing security chiefs to immediately implement earlier instructions aimed at halting the recurring violence and bloodshed in the North Central region.
A statement by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, said the order followed fresh reprisal attacks that have claimed over 100 lives in Yelwata, Guma Local Council, most of them Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) “sheltered by the local Catholic mission.”
This has led to protest across the state, with Yelwata youths had blocked the Lafia-Makurdi highway in protest against the killings and continued on Sunday morning Makurdi, with the Police firing teargas to disperse them.
Onanuga said in response to the latest escalation, intelligence agencies, Police authorities and military personnel had been deployed to the state to coordinate security operations and restore calm.
The President also charged Governor Hyacinth Alia to take urgent steps and initiate dialogue and reconciliation processes among the affected communities, urging inclusive peace-building efforts to end the long-standing clashes between farmers, herders and other groups in the state.
While condemning the persistent killings, Tinubu described the violence as “inhuman and anti-progress,” calling on both political and community leaders in the state to refrain from provocative statements that could further stoke tensions.
He stated: “The latest news of wanton killings in Benue State is very depressing. We must not allow this bloodletting to continue unabated. Enough is enough.
“I have directed security agencies to act decisively, to arrest and prosecute all those behind these heinous attacks, regardless of their affiliations. We must put a stop to this cycle of violence.”
He stressed the need for responsible leadership and called on Alia to rise to the occasion, adding: “This is the time for Governor Alia to act as a statesman and immediately lead the process of dialogue and reconciliation that will bring lasting peace to Benue.
“Our people must live in peace, and it is possible, when leaders across divides work together with fairness, openness and justice.”
Meanwhile, Pope Leo XIV, at the Sunday Angelus, prayed for victims of conflicts in Nigeria, Sudan, Myanmar, Ukraine and the Middle East, especially victims of the “terrible massacre” in Benue State.
According to Vatican News, the Pope, speaking just before delivering the Sunday Angelus prayer, prayed for “security, justice and peace” in Nigeria, adding that he was thinking in particular of the “rural Christian communities of the Benue State who have been relentless victims of violence.”
