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.
President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday convened a high‑level stakeholders’ meeting in Makurdi, establishing a peace committee to quell the recent wave of violence that claimed over 200 lives in Yelewata, Guma Local Government Area of Benue State. The committee includes former Benue governors Gen. Atom Kpera, Senator George Akume, Senator Gabriel Suswam, and Samuel Ortom; traditional rulers such as Tor Tiv James Ayatse and Och’Idoma Dr John Elaigwu; federal officials; and non‑indigenous residents.
Tinubu urged Governor Hyacinth Alia to spearhead the committee’s work, calling for collaboration with neighbouring Nasarawa State to drive sustainable peace. “We will convert this tragedy into prosperity,” he affirmed. He also chastised the security agencies for failing to make arrests: “How come no arrest has been made? I expect there should be an arrest of those criminals.”
The President directed top military and police chiefs, including the IGP and Chief of Defence Staff, to intensify manhunts and improve intelligence capacity. He further tasked the Minister of Agriculture to explore ranching options and called for blood donations to support survivors at Benue State University Teaching Hospital.
HRM Prof. James Ayatse described the crisis as a “calculated, well‑planned, full‑scale genocidal invasion and land‑grabbing campaign by herder‑terrorists and bandits.” The committee will reconvene in Abuja.