Benue killings: No more excuses, get those criminals — Tinubu tells IGP, Security Chiefs
…Says failure to arrest masterminds unacceptable
…Orders DSS, NIA to overhaul intelligence gathering systems
…Tells Gov Alia to prioritise “Benue’s peace”
…‘This is a genocidal invasion, not a farmer-herder clash’– Tor Tiv warns
By Titus Atondu, Makurdi
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Wednesday delivered a rebuke to Nigeria’s top security and intelligence chiefs, demanding immediate arrests of those behind the recent massacre in Yelwata, Benue State, where over 100 residents were brutally killed.
In a high-stakes stakeholders’ meeting held in Makurdi, the Benue State capital, the President made it clear that failure to act decisively would no longer be tolerated.
His message was urgent, and filled with resolve saying that security institutions must prove their relevance or face the consequences of their silence.
According to him, “Let’s get those criminals out,” President Tinubu told the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, in front of service chiefs, traditional rulers, and the Benue State government.
President Tinubu didn't stop at ordering arrests. He expressed deep concern over the failure of intelligence agencies to preempt or respond swiftly to the Yelwata attack and tasked the Department of State Services (DSS) and the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) with reengineering their operations.
He declared: “DG NIA, DG SSS — retool your information channels. We need tangible intelligence. Our ears must be on the ground.
“We cannot continue this way. When lives are lost and intelligence fails, something is fundamentally wrong.”
He also praised the Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, for his commitment, but warned against complacency, saying: “Christopher, you can’t be tired. You have to stay in the bush if that’s what it takes. This is war — we need results, not rhetoric.”
‘Benue peace is in your hands,’ Tinubu Tells Governor Alia
President Tinubu issued a clear directive to Governor Hyacinth Alia, placing on him the responsibility to unite the state and protect its future. He cautioned against exclusion and urged the governor to carry all stakeholders along, regardless of political differences.
“Governor Alia, the peace of Benue is in your hands. You must work harder and ensure no one is left out. Not everyone will like you, but your duty is to lead — protect both your critics and supporters,”he said.
He further emphasised the critical role Benue plays in Nigeria’s food security, warning that persistent violence in the state undermines the country’s ability to feed itself.
“We cannot achieve food sovereignty if killings continue. The value of human life is greater than that of a cow,” he warned.
In his address, the Tor Tiv and Chairman of the Benue State Traditional Council, His Royal Majesty, Professor James Ayatse, dismantled the narrative that the crisis was merely a farmer-herder conflict.
He described the violence as a systematic genocidal campaign aimed at displacing indigenous populations and seizing land.
He said:“Your Excellency, this is not a clash. It is a coordinated, calculated, full-scale genocidal invasion.
“Wrong diagnosis leads to wrong solutions. Those encouraging coexistence with killers are telling us to live with warriors.”
Ayatse appealed to the President to address the historical displacement of Tiv people, particularly in Nasarawa State, where he said indigenous Tiv communities had been driven out since the 19th century.
“Please help us reclaim and protect the ancestral lands of our people. We are living in exile within our own country,” he said.
Tinubu announced his intention to establish a Peace Resolution Committee to include traditional leaders like the Tor Tiv and Och’Idoma, former governors, and other key stakeholders. The committee would design a sustainable blueprint for long-term peace in the state.
He also listened to Governor Alia’s appeal for a federal Special Intervention Fund to rebuild communities ravaged by attacks, rehabilitate displaced persons, and restore economic activity.
“We need a post-conflict development package — not just peace, but prosperity for our traumatised people,” Governor Alia said.
The Governor further reiterated his support for state police, insisting that decentralised policing is necessary to address security challenges that federal structures can no longer manage alone.
Earlier in the day, President Tinubu visited hospitals where survivors of the Yelwata massacre were being treated. He met with victims’ families, assured them of justice, and called on citizens to donate blood to save lives.
He also acknowledged the efforts of Nigeria’s military and law enforcement personnel in trying to restore order but made it clear that results, not efforts, would define his administration’s resolve.
“We are not just building roads and bridges — we are building trust. Nigeria must be a country where justice is guaranteed,” he added.