A former spokesman for President Bola Tinubu’s campaign in the South-East, Josef Onoh, has warned of the Benue State government’s decision to stage a festive and colorful welcome for the President amid national and international outrage over a recent massacre in the state.
Onoh described the planned fanfare as “a grave insult to the souls of the innocent victims” of the Yelwata and Daudu massacres, which claimed the lives of over 200 residents in Guma Local Government Area just days before the President’s scheduled visit.
“At a time when the entire country and the world are enraged by the horrific killings in Benue, the state government’s decision to mobilize residents for a festive reception is not only inappropriate but an insult to the souls of the victims and to humanity itself,” Onoh said in a strongly worded statement.
The President is expected to visit Makurdi today, but instead of preparing for a solemn occasion of reflection and commitment to security, the Benue State government has issued a directive for what it calls a “rousing and colourful welcome.”
A letter dated June 17, 2025, and signed by Francis U. Ngutswen, Senior Special Assistant on Special Groups Mobilization to Governor Hyacinth Alia, instructed residents to come out en masse and participate in a “colorful shoulder-to-shoulder spread/procession” from the airport through the Wurukum Roundabout to the Government House in Makurdi.
The directive included logistics for accreditation by group numbers and colours, suggesting an organized parade with festive undertones.
This move has provoked widespread outrage, particularly among residents still grieving the recent killings, many of whom are displaced and protesting the government’s failure to protect them.
“We don taya, we dey helpless, we don become weak, we dey broken, we dey powerless because government no dey help us,” one protester in Benue was heard chanting during a recent demonstration, holding green leaves as a symbol of peace and mourning.
“The blood of the innocent cries out for justice, yet the government is more concerned with staging a parade than ensuring the perpetrators are brought to book,” he said.
“This is not the time for celebration. This is not the time for colourful displays. This is a time for national mourning, a time to ask ourselves hard questions, and to demand answers.”
Onoh, son of the late Christian Onoh and a vocal political figure in his own right, lamented that the government appears more invested in optics than substance.
He said the fanfare risks sending the wrong message both to grieving Nigerians and to the international community observing the deteriorating security situation in Nigeria’s Middle Belt.
He further echoed the concerns raised by Amnesty International, which recently criticized Nigeria’s response to mass killings as “woefully inadequate” and “failing to meet the needs of affected communities.”
“The visit of the President should be an opportunity for sober reflection and actionable commitment — not another political spectacle that mocks the pain of the people,” Onoh added.
He urged Governor Alia to immediately retract the mobilization directive, refocus the President’s visit on humanitarian support and security dialogue, and prioritize the families of the slain.
“The state should be rallying support for the displaced, providing medical aid to survivors, and coordinating with federal authorities to prevent further bloodshed — not turning the Governor’s Lodge into a parade ground,” Onoh said.