President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has ordered Nigerian security agencies to immediately stop the wave of violent attacks plaguing Benue State, where more than 200 people have been killed in just a few days.
The President condemned the killings as “inhuman and anti-progress” following protests in Makurdi, the state capital, where residents demanded action to protect communities under attack.
The violence linked to a long-running conflict between herders and farmers continues to escalate. Data from Beacon Security and Intelligence Limited shows over 1,000 deaths recorded in the state between May 2023 and May 2025 alone.
Most recently, a massacre in Yelwata, Guma Local Government Area, on the night of 13th/14th June, claimed the lives of around 200 people, many of whom were internally displaced persons being sheltered at a local Catholic mission.
On Sunday, Pope Leo offered a heartfelt prayer for the victims, calling it a “terrible massacre.” During the Angelus in Rome, the pontiff said he was thinking especially of the “rural Christian communities of Benue State who have been relentless victims of violence.” He prayed for “security, justice, and peace” in Nigeria.
Meanwhile, Amnesty International Nigeria issued a strong statement, calling on the government to “immediately end the almost daily bloodshed” and ensure that the perpetrators are brought to justice.
The Benue crisis stems largely from land disputes and resource pressure between Fulani herders, who are mostly Muslim, and the Christian farming communities of the Middle Belt. Climate change, desertification, and shrinking arable land are pushing herders southward, intensifying these clashes.
Baba Othman Ngelzarma, a Fulani community leader, denied his people’s involvement in the recent killings, stating: “Our people are not behind the Benue killings.”
Despite previous security efforts, including federal joint task forces and the recent establishment of Forest Guards, analysts say the situation demands both military strategy and economic policy.
Security analyst Kabir Adamu recommended the deployment of intelligence-based special forces and the creation of equitable grazing zones to reduce tensions.
Public affairs commentator Sam Philip criticized the government for focusing on Boko Haram and kidnappings in other regions, saying the Benue conflict has been “ignored for too long.”
As Nigeria’s leadership faces renewed pressure from both global voices and citizens, many in Benue are still left wondering when lasting peace will finally come.
BBC & Vatcan News