Tinubu Orders Crackdown on Killers in Benue, Warns Against Inflammatory Rhetoric

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has ordered security agencies to apprehend those behind the ongoing wave of killings in Benue State, describing the attacks as “inhuman and anti-progress.”

The president also cautioned political and community leaders against making incendiary remarks that could inflame tensions further.

On June 14, suspected herdsmen reportedly killed over 100 people in Yelewata and Daudu communities in Guma Local Government Area. By Sunday, the death toll had allegedly climbed to 200. The massacre came just days after another violent episode in Mtswenem and Akondotyough Bawa communities in Makurdi LGA, where 25 people were killed.

In a statement released by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, President Tinubu said, “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.”

He reiterated his directive to the country’s security chiefs to take decisive action. “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,” Tinubu said.

Following his orders, top intelligence personnel, police forces, and military units have been deployed to the affected areas to take charge of operations and restore calm.

President Tinubu also appealed to local political and community figures to refrain from making statements that could provoke further violence. “Leaders must rein in those who go out to cause provocations and ignite reprisal attacks,” he said.

He urged Governor Hyacinth Alia to rise above political considerations and act as a statesman. “Initiate urgent dialogue and reconciliation efforts to bring peace to the state,” he advised.

The president concluded by stressing that peaceful coexistence among Nigerians is possible through collective leadership, fairness, openness, and justice. “We must live in peace. It is the only way to achieve true progress,” he said.