*’I Aborted My Visit To Yelewata Because Of Rain, Bad Roads’
Tor Tiv: Attacks Land-Grabbing Attempt
*It’s Internal Political Crisis, Not Ethnic Conflict, Says NEF
PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has directed the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, and Chief of Defence Staff (CDA), General Christopher Musa, to immediately arrest those responsible for the massacre of over 200 persons in Yelewata community of Benue State.
During a high-level stakeholders’ meeting at the Benue State Government House, Makurdi, attended by federal and state officials, traditional rulers and governors from Kwara, Imo, Kogi, Plateau, Ondo, and Nasarawa states, a visibly angery President demanded accountability, asking: “How come no one has been arrested for this heinous crime in Yelewata? IGP, where are the arrests? The criminals must be arrested immediately.
“Police, I hope your men are on alert to listen to information. How come no arrest has been made? I expect there should be an arrest of those criminals.”
To the CDS, he said: “Christopher, thank you very much. I watched your comments. I know you can’t be tired of staying in the bush, including Oluyede (Chief of Army Staff) and the Air Marshal.
“Thanks to all of you, but we need to keep our ears to the ground. Let’s get those criminals, let’s get them out.”
And to the heads of intelligence agencies, the President stated: “DG NIA and DG DSS, retool your information channels and let’s have tangible intelligence that this will not occur again.”
Tinubu also charged the Department of State Service (DSS) and National Intelligence Agency (NIA) to intensify surveillance and gather actionable intelligence to apprehend the perpetrators.
He advised Governor Hyacinth Alia to set up a broad-based peace committee, comprising former governors, traditional rulers, federal officials and non-indigenes residing in the state, adding: “Let us meet again in Abuja and fashion out a framework for lasting peace.
“I am ready to invest in that peace. We will convert this tragedy into prosperity.”
The President earlier in the day visited victims of the attack at the Benue State University Teaching Hospital, where he also appealed for blood donations to support those undergoing treatment, stressing: “The value of human life is greater than that of a cow. We were elected to govern, not to bury people.”
He urged Alia to allocate land for ranching and directed the minister of Agriculture and Food Security to follow up on implementation, noting: “I came here to commission projects, not to see gloomy faces. But peace is vital for development.”
While reiterating the federal government’s commitment to restoring peace, the President said to Alia: “You were elected under a progressive banner to ensure peace and development, not to console widows and bury victims.
“Not everyone will like you in politics. They hate me too, like hell. But here I am, still your President.”
He vowed to uphold democracy and protect Nigerians, even critics and opponents.
In his response, Alia appealled to the federal government to establish a Special Intervention Fund for communities affected by repeated violent attacks across the state, adding: “The Fund will support the rehabilitation of displaced persons, reconstruction of destroyed homes and infrastructure, and the restoration of livelihoods, especially for farmers.”
The governor reiterated his support for the creation of state Police as a lasting solution to insecurity, pledging his administration’s full commitment to a safe, stable and prosperous Benue.
Also speaking, Chairman of the Benue State Traditional Council, Tor Tiv, Orchivirigh, Prof. James Ayatse, commended Tinubu for personally visiting victims and recognising Benue’s contributions to national development, as well as for appointing notable indigenes to key federal positions, even as he called for more inclusion.
On insecurity bedevilling the state, Tor Tiv dismissed prevailing narratives of “herder-farmer clashes” or “communal conflict,” describing the situation instead as a “well-planned genocidal land-grabbing campaign,” insisting: “This is not reprisal; it is a calculated invasion by herder-terrorists and bandits. Mischaracterising the crisis leads to inadequate responses.”
The monarch also condemned political actors allegedly exploiting the crisis for personal gains, saying: “Politicians in the state are busy politicising the crisis, passing blames instead of joining hands to address the crisis. We hear that some politicians would even prefer that the crisis worsen, so it would serve as a basis for declaring a state of emergency.
“This is unfortunate. Any politician who prays for more people to die for such a project is working against the wishes of the people of Benue State.”
He pleaded for quick restoration of peace, lamenting: “To stop our weeping, give us peace in Benue, so our people, mostly farmers, can return to their land and feed the nation.”
Later on, Tinubu constituted a committee to help restore sustainable peace in the state Benue State.
Members of the committee include former military governor of Benue State, Gen. Atom Kpera (rtd); for governors George Akume, Gabriel Suswam and Samuel Ortom; Ayatse; and Paramount Ruler of Idomaland, the Ochidoma, Dr. John Elaigwu, as well as federal officials and non-indigenes residing in the state.
Tinubu counselled Alia on the importance of stakeholder management for peaceful and progressive governance, charging him to champion the activities of the committee, assuring the state of federal government’s backing and his personal resolve to end the cycle of bloodshed.
The President attributed his inability to visit scenes of the killings to bad roads and heavy rainfall, saying: “I aborted my visit to Yelewata because of the rain and bad roads.”
Meanwhile, the Northern Elders Forum has strongly condemned the persistent wave of killings and violence engulfing the state, describing the situation as “genocide” and a direct consequence of government inaction, political complicity and systemic collapse.
In a statement by its spokesperson, Professor Abubakar Jiddere, the Forum lamented: “The situation has degenerated into unrestrained bloodshed and lawlessness, turning communities into killing fields and exposing the utter collapse of governance, accountability, and security.
“Benue State, one of Nigeria’s critical agricultural hubs, plays a vital role in national food production, youth and women’s employment and economic stability. Today, this once-thriving state is under siege.
“The lives of its innocent citizens are being violently cut short, and its socio-economic structure is being systematically destroyed, while the government stands by in silence, helplessness or worse, complicity.”
The statement added: “In Guma and Logo local government areas, another 200 lives were wiped out. Thousands have been displaced into squalid, unsafe IDP camps with no access to healthcare, clean water or basic necessities.
“Medical services are overstretched and collapsing. Women, children and the elderly are dying in silence while the government looks away.
“Let it be clearly stated: This is not an ethnic conflict, as it is deceptively portrayed; it is an internal political crisis, one that has been allowed to fester due to criminal negligence, partisan interests and a complete failure of leadership.”
