The unending killings in Benue state – North-central Nigeria – climaxed to an extremely disgusting level last week, when at least 200 Benue indigenes were rounded up in their sleep and massacred in a three-hour killing spree by terrorists parading themselves as herdsmen.

The tragic killings stunned the Nigerian nation as the chilling death toll remains the single-worst atrocity in a region which has witnessed an upsurge in attacks amid increasing signs that a concerted militant assault is underway to force entire communities to abandon their own region into the wilderness of despair. Before the wanton killings, Church leaders in Benue had sought help to relocate huge numbers of internally displaced persons (IDPs) who had for years taken refuge in Yelewata and its environs following frequent ferocious attacks by terrorists on communities across the state.The victims had no choice other than to flee from their ancestral lands to neighbouring towns and villages for safety. This has been the experience of the innocent victims across the length and breadth of the state for more than a decade now. It is curious that despite all the steps taken by the federal and sub-national governments to address the ugly security situation, there has been no headway. The situation has become a shameful embarrassment to the federal government, which has all along been paying lip service to the precarious security situation in the state, totally oblivious that the primary responsibility of government is essentially the provision of security and welfare to the citizenry.A troubled Governor of Benue state, Rev. Fr. Dr. Hyacinth Alia, while reacting to the Yelewata massacre, condemned the tragic blood-letting of his people and called for calm.”My beloved people of Benue state, I address you this morning with a heart weighed down by grief, but strengthened by duty. Last night, terror descended on Yelewata, in Guma Local Government Area, where over two hundred of our brothers and sisters were brutally murdered by terrorists masquerading as herders. Entire families were wiped out. Children, women and elders, slaughtered and burnt in the shelter of their homes.”Two days ago, two communities – Mtswenem and Akondotyough Bawa in Makurdi LGA were attacked and 25 people killed. This is evil in its purest form — and I condemn it with every fiber of my being.”Let this be clear: this was not an isolated incident. Our people have endured too many massacres — in Ukum, Logo, Katsina-Ala, Kwande, Agatu, Otukpo, Apa, Gwer West, Gwer East, and elsewhere. These killings are not just numbers. These are our people — people with names, dreams, and families. This government will no longer speak in cautious tones or diplomatic restraint”, he stated, pointing out that “to every grieving family, I say: I see you. I feel your pain. And I will not let this pass as just another tragedy.”This morning, I have formally reached out to request an immediate one-on-one audience with His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. I intend to meet with him personally — not just to convey our sorrow, but to demand clear and decisive federal action. Benue has carried this burden for far too long”The governor directed the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) to coordinate the temporary relocation and settlement of the displaced persons at the Makurdi International Market premises and provide for their basic needs. All relevant government agencies should be on standby to support SEMA whenever they are called upon. To forge a new path going forward.The governor summoned an emergency high-level meeting to hold in Makurdi.Those invited include: the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, all serving Members of the National Assembly from Benue State, leaders of the State House of Assembly, Local Government Chairmen, traditional rulers, religious leaders, and security chiefs resident in the state will also be in attendance.

Governor Alia maintained:”We are not APC or PDP. We are not Tiv, Idoma, Igede, Etulo, Abakpa, Jukun, Akweya, Nyifon or Igbo. We are Benue people under attack, and we must respond as one big family.”We will no longer wait to be killed before reacting. We will take the war to the doorsteps of those who bring war to us. With the support of the President and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, we will resume full implementation of the Anti-Open Grazing and Ranches Establishment Law. All herders with animals grazing freely on any inch of Benue land are hereby advised to comply or face the consequences.”I have directed immediate reinforcement of security in our border communities. Tactical units from the military and police are being deployed. The Benue State Government is also working to strengthen joint operations and support local intelligence networks. But beyond force, we are building unity. The call now is for community vigilance, intelligence sharing, and neighborly solidarity. Our enemies thrive when we are divided. They fall when we stand together”Alia thanked the youths for raising their voice against oppression. I have seen your handwriting and videos on social media.”I have not been asleep, but I am reinvigorated by your admonitions. Continue to be alert, not lawless. Be courageous, but coordinated. Do not take laws into your hands, but never again let our communities be taken by surprise.To every citizen: mourn, but also rise. Cry, but never give-up. We shall overcome”, he stated, reiterating that his message was not of fear, but of defiance.Speaking at Yelewata, the epicenter of the massacre, less than 12 hours after the atrocity, the town’s parish priest, Father Ukuma Jonathan Angbianbee, described how he and other IDPs narrowly escaped death, dropping to the floor of the church’s presbytery at the sound of gunfire. He said: “When we heard the shots and saw the militants, we committed our lives to God. This morning, I thank God I am alive.”The daily massacre in Benue in the past one year, coupled with the current killings is being falsely described in some quarters as reprisals killings. This is a gross misrepresentation and a great fallacy because from whichever angle one looks at the wanton and deliberate blood-letting, one sees that it is an obvious misnomer that has been happening in the state to the chagrin of a traumatized people. And this is nothing but genocide and ethnic cleansing orchestrated by the invading Fulani herdsmen-backed militia.The Yelewata killings, which began on the night of Friday, June 13, 2025, saw dare-devil heavily armed herdsmen targeting displaced families and setting fire on their buildings, while they were asleep, and macheted and shot to death those who attempted to escape from the blaze. Eye witnesses said the IDPs escaped their camps and moved into the market square in Yelewata, Guma Local Government Area, near Makurdi, when the terrorists stormed the place shouting “Allahu Akhbar” (“God is great”), before engaging in their killing spree.In a first-hand report given to Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), local clergy said that earlier the same evening, police had repelled the attackers as they tried to storm Yelewata’s St Joseph’s Church, where up to 700 IDPs lay sleeping.The priest said Yelewata had absorbed thousands of IDPs from neighbouring villages – as it was considered relatively safe, lying on the main road to Abuja – but now was largely deserted, with many taking refuge in nearby Daudu and Abagena.Father Jonathan further revealed that he and his colleagues identified the attackers as herdsmen and that the attack was carefully coordinated, as the militants accessed the town from multiple angles and used the cover of heavy rains to mount their assault.He said: “There is no question about who carried out the attack. They were definitely herdsmen shouting ‘Alahu Akhbar’ during the onslaught.

The Reverend and other Clergy in Makurdi Catholic Diocese criticized the security response to the attack, saying that the police, who stopped the militants from accessing the church, were poorly equipped and were unable to prevent the attack on the nearby market place.Pope Leo XIV did not hesitate to react to the gory killings, saying he was praying for those “brutally killed” in the terrible massacre – most of them IDPs “sheltered by the local Catholic mission”.The Pope said he was praying for “security, justice and peace” in Nigeria, adding that in his thoughts especially were the “rural Christian communities of the Benue State who have been innocent victims of violence.”The senseless attack comes amid a spike in attacks on Benue state around the Makurdi region, which has about 80 percent Catholics.Church leaders have repeatedly called for international help, saying that a jihad militant plan is underway to seize land and ethnically cleanse the region of its Christian presence.On his part, former Senate President, Senator David Mark, strongly condemned the recent wave of violent attacks on several communities in Benue state by suspected armed herdsmen, which have resulted in huge loss of lives and the destruction of property worth billions of naira. Senator Mark in a statement said in the past few weeks, the affected areas include Otukpo, Agatu, Apa, Ohimini, Okpokwu, Ado, Ogbadibo, Gwer-West, Gwer-East, Katsina-Ala, Logo, and Ukum local government areas. He expressed deep concern over the killings and kidnappings, especially the most recent ones in the Otukpo axis and Gwer-West, where youth protests erupted in response to the killings.He further appealed to the youths across Benue communities to remain vigilant and promptly report any suspicious movement or individuals to security operatives, emphasizing that prevention is key to avoiding further tragedies.Senator Mark also issued a strong warning against the stereotyping of any ethnic group, stressing that reprisal attacks were not the solution and could further escalate tensions in the region.“There should be no stereotyping of any ethnic group or reprisal attacks on any group of people due to these unfortunate incidents,” he cautioned.While commiserating with families affected by the attacks, he prayed for the repose of the souls lost. “I commiserate with those who lost their loved ones to the marauders. May their souls rest in peace,” Senator Mark summed up.DAILY ASSET has followed closely and reported previous incidents of herdsmen attacks on communities in the North Central and especially Benue state and our documentation points to a direction of a carefully planned action by persons or groups whose interests to displace local communities and take over land is no longer in doubt. These killings have been made possible with the sophistication of the weapons carried by the attackers.The country must not be oblivious of the fact that a major security threat confronting Nigeria is the proliferation of small arms and light weapons and it’s attendant consequences – deteriorating security challenges in all nooks and cranny of the country.

Thus, the daily loss of human lives and property at the sub-national level as it is the current case in Benue state is due to the menace of small arms and light weapons flooding the country. It is regrettable that over a long period of time, the Ministry of Defence and the intelligence community have failed to devise a strategy to control the illegal flow of these arms into the country, a situation which has reduced Nigeria’s war against insurgency, banditry and criminality to a child’s play. For the campaign against insecurity to succeed, the federal government must map out strategies to curtail the proliferation of small arms and light weapons bedeviling the country. This must move beyond rhetorics.Given the gargantuan nature of the crisis, the Nigerian state has been used as a microcosm to examine the emerging and changing trend of small arms and light weapons proliferation on the African continent.A study, facilitated by the United Nations (UN) programme of action on small arms and light weapons pointed out that the technology, particularly internet, could become a game changer and redefine the nomenclature of small arms and light weapons proliferation but the inability of the security operatives to effectively infiltrate such internet spaces to keep abreast and track criminal activities remains a serious setback.The study pointed that the calamities associated with small arms and light weapon proliferation in the 21st century are serious challenges confronting countries in Africa with Nigeria occupying terrifying and frightening position. This drawback grossly affects the nation’s political, economic, and socio-cultural development. And it is profoundly expedient for a robust intelligence gathering mechanism through effective policing across the length and breadth of the country to counter the yoke of small arms and light weapons proliferation.Again, the unending stockpiling of illicit weapons continues to threaten not only the country, but global peace and security. This is exacerbating the plight of civilians in strife-torn countries worldwide. The misuse, illicit transfer and destabilizing accumulation of small arms and light weapons and ammunition, remain a defining factor in undermining peace and security at the national, regional and global levels, a disturbing development which has deeply aggravated situations for vulnerable populations already suffering from conflicts.Despite the pledge by President Ahmed Tinubu to curtail the menace of insecurity, many Nigerians are still being needlessly cut down by the crossfire of armed robbers, kidnappers, criminals and insurgents, who perpetuate their nefarious activities due to unending proliferation of small arms and light weapons. As terrorists and organized criminal groups continue to inflict harm and chaos because of the country’s weak institutions, there is a compelling need to retool and strengthen the nation’s intelligence gathering institutions to mop up illicit small arms and light weapons in the country. DAILY ASSET so submits.On the killings in Benue, the constant refrain from Abuja, which urges Benue people to either “reconcile” or “learn to live with their neighbours”( the attackers) is a painful display of ignorance at its worst level. The attackers usually advance from their hideouts and camps in neighbouring states especially Nasarawa, where they come to cause mayhem. Their one precondition to peace appears to be control of the ancestral lands of the local farmers for grazing of their cattle. Since there could hardly be any compromise on this, violent confrontation becomes inevitable.We condemn in the strongest possible terms the repeated wanton killings by the suspected Herdsman and their militia. The bloodletting cannot go on without end. And this is the time.We urge the Federal government to abandon rhetoric and and truly mobilize the federal forces to quell this revolt, which has all the potentials to further destabilise the country if not nibbed in the bud.In order to detect and prevent the movement of illicit small arms and light weapons across state borders effectively, states must develop and implement comprehensive border security management strategies and engage all relevant national agencies to strengthen, sustain and consolidate the campaign against insecurity and illicit trafficking of small arms and light weapons in the country,

In doing this, the birth of state police which has been delayed for a long time can no longer wait. The National Assembly must pass the necessary laws for state police to emerge. The absence of state police coupled with the failure of the Nigeria Police Force to handle the crisis has made many to canvass the arming of local vigilante and youth groups to confront the herdsmen. This seems quite attractive in the circumstance but will surely be counterproductive in the long run as there could be no guarantee to what the young people with guns in their hands could do in a nation where the population is ravaged by hunger and poverty.The Federal Government should as a matter of urgency and necessity establish military bases around the areas mostly ravaged by the herdsmen attacks in Guma, Makurdi, Gwer-West, Logo, Agatu, Apa, Logo and Katsina-Ala LGAs.The Benue state government should also commence immediate implementation of the Anti-open grazing Law, which has the potential to restrain the herders from coming into collusion course with the framers. If there are conflicting or ambiguous clauses in the Law, it should be immediately strengthened for implementationTo demonstrate that the blood-thirsty herdsmen have no federal backing as some have insinuated, the Police must arrest and fish out the perpetrators of this heinous crime and bring them to justice.In the interim, a comprehensive relief package should immediately be made available to the IDPs in the affected areas by the federal government.DAILY ASSET commiserates with all those who have lost their loved ones in the series of attacks as well as their means of livelihoods. We urge the federal government to support the vulnerable IDPs to regain their battered economic lives and restore the damaged social infrastructure like schools, churches, markets, hospitals, etc. The federal government should lead in the reconstruction effort.Finally, we warn that for too long we have played too much politics with the lives of innocent Nigerians. We have been lucky with this misnomer but nobody knows what tomorrow holds if we continue in this direction. There is therefore no more room for procrastination. There must be an immediate end to the regime of herdsmen attacks on farming communities in Benue and other states with the accompanying needless bloodletting. DAILY ASSET has warned!