President Bola Tinubu has issued a stern reprimand to Nigeria’s security agencies over their inability to apprehend suspects linked to the brutal massacre in Benue State, where over 200 people lost their lives in the Yelewata community of Guma Local Government Area.
Speaking on Wednesday during a stakeholders’ town hall meeting at the Benue State Government House in Makurdi, the President explicitly mandated the nation’s service chiefs and the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, to take urgent and decisive action against those responsible for the attacks.
“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,” Tinubu questioned pointedly.
He urged the Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, and other heads of security agencies to intensify intelligence-gathering and operational efforts. “Christopher, you have given much. I watch your comments, you can’t be tired of staying in the bush. Oloyede and the Air Marshal, we thank all of you, but we need to keep our ears to the ground. Let’s get those criminals, let’s get them out,” he said.
Addressing the Directors-General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) and the Department of State Services (DSS), Tinubu stressed the need to “retool your information channels and let’s have tangible intelligence so that this will not occur again.”
The President’s visit follows renewed violence in Benue, a state long plagued by deadly clashes between herders and farming communities. During the visit, Tinubu met survivors at the Benue State University Teaching Hospital and held private discussions with key stakeholders to chart a path forward.
Reflecting on governance and leadership, Tinubu acknowledged the value of criticism, stating, “No matter what I do, they will insult me. I read the papers and I learn from their criticism because I can’t see it all.”
He also offered encouragement to Benue State Governor Hyacinth Alia, noting, “Your political enemies don’t want you to succeed. Are you just realizing that?” He stressed the importance of unity among the state’s leaders, saying, “We cannot do without one another.”
To institutionalize peace efforts, Tinubu proposed the formation of a leadership committee to convene in Abuja and develop a lasting peace strategy for Benue, pledging full federal support. “I want us to create a leadership committee now to meet in Abuja to fashion out a strategy for lasting peace. And I am ready to invest in that peace,” he declared.
Emphasizing the need for reconciliation, Tinubu urged cooperation between Governor Alia and his predecessors to resolve the herder-farmer crisis, highlighting land issues as the core problem. “We have to find solutions to this. What’s the cause of the conflict? I heard it’s about land-grabbing. But if we learn how to share and accommodate, we have enough land to feed, to raise our children, to cultivate happiness and prosperity. We must do it,” he said.
The President’s visit, which included former governors, traditional rulers, political leaders, and party members, marks a pivotal step in national efforts to address the long-standing violence afflicting Nigeria’s North-Central region.
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