President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has ordered the immediate arrest of armed herders responsible for the killing of over 100 people in Yelewata, Guma Local Government Area of Benue State.
Speaking at a stakeholders’ meeting at the Government House in Makurdi, the President directed the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, and Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, to urgently apprehend the perpetrators.
“How come no one has been arrested for this heinous crime in Yelewata? Inspector General of Police, where are the arrests? The criminals must be arrested immediately,” Tinubu demanded, expressing outrage over the attack.
Also in attendance were Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume; governors of Kwara, Imo, Kogi, Plateau, Ondo, and Nasarawa States; traditional rulers; and former governors of Benue State.
President Tinubu instructed the heads of the Department of State Services (DSS) and National Intelligence Agency (NIA) to intensify surveillance and intelligence gathering. He also urged stronger collaboration between security forces and local communities.
Emphasizing peace as a precondition for development, the President tasked Governor Hyacinth Alia with forming a peace committee comprising former governors, traditional leaders, elders, federal representatives, and non-indigenes in the state. He also called for land allocation to support ranching initiatives and directed the Minister of Agriculture to follow up.
“I am ready to invest in peace. I assure you, we will find it. We will convert this tragedy into prosperity,” Tinubu said, after visiting victims at the Benue State University Teaching Hospital, where he called for blood donations to aid the injured.
In a powerful statement, the President added: “The value of human life is greater than that of a cow. We were elected to govern, not to bury people.”
Tinubu encouraged Governor Alia to work closely with the Federal Government. “You are not elected to comfort widows and orphans. You are here to lead in peace and progress. I will work with you, but you must work with us,” he stressed.
Governor Alia, in his remarks, called on the Federal Government to establish a Special Intervention Fund to support displaced communities affected by recurring attacks, rebuild infrastructure, and restore livelihoods. He reaffirmed his administration’s support for state police as a long-term solution to insecurity.
The Chairman of the Benue State Traditional Council, Tor Tiv, Prof. James Ayatse, commended the President for being the first sitting Nigerian leader to personally visit victims of such attacks. He also warned against misrepresenting the crisis as mere herder-farmer clashes.
“What we are dealing with here in Benue is a calculated, well-planned, full-scale genocidal invasion and land-grabbing campaign by herder-terrorists and bandits,” he said, adding that political manipulation of the crisis risks worsening the suffering of the people.
He appealed to the President: “All we ask of you, sir, is to stop our weeping. Give us peace in Benue State so our farmers can return to their land.”
The President reaffirmed his commitment to ending insecurity across the country and promised that the Federal Government would work relentlessly to ensure lasting peace in Benue and beyond.
