Deep in the heart of Nigeria’s North Central geo-political zone, precisely in Benue state, a humanitarian catastrophe is unfolding—regular bloody, disturbing and persistent shedding of the blood of innocent children, women, the old, poor, marginalised and neglected people is gradually becoming institutionalised. The state of Benue, once hailed as the food basket of the nation, now groans under the weight of unprovoked violence, displacement, and unchecked killings.
From the perspective of the Benue Peoples in Diaspora the foregoing is not a mere unrest or communal clashes; it is a systematic campaign of terror and ethnic cleansing that has left behind a trail of blood, tears, and scorched earth. Yet, federal attention remains minimal,deserved humane dispositions grossly inadequate, and justice elusive.
A recent open letter addressed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, signed by leaders of the Benue diaspora group, including Prof. Akaa D. Ayangeakaa of the Mutual Union of Tiv in America and Chief Edwin Ochai of Idoma USA, captures the pain and indignation of a people pushed to the edge. It is a chilling indictment of government inaction and a heartfelt plea for truth, justice, and a return to humanity.
The group notes with particular concern that, over the past few months, attacks in Benue have escalated in brutality and frequency. In Gbagir, Ukum Local Government Area (LGA), more than 70 civilians were massacred in May 2025. Just weeks later, on June 14, Yelewata in Guma LGA witnessed the horrendous murder of over 200 people in what survivors and local observers describe not as a clash, but as a coordinated execution. These were not accidental casualties of crossfire—victims included infants, elderly, and women who were burned alive or hacked to death in their sleep.
The letter decries the Federal Government’s characterization of these atrocities as “reprisal attacks” within the context of a “farmer-herder conflict,” a phrase that has long been used to obscure the complex, and often one-sided, nature of the violence in Nigeria’s Middle Belt. According to the authors, this narrative is both offensive and factually wrong. It ignores the asymmetry of the attacks and lends legitimacy to what can effectively be described as ethnic cleansing. Therefore, calling on the leadership of the state to embark on reconciliatory journey does not arise.
“Was the 7-month-old baby who was hacked with a hatchet and burned alive also a farmer?” the letter asks in bitter disbelief. “Were the infants who died while clinging to their mothers’ breasts part of a ‘farmers-herders conflict’?”
These rhetorical questions are not just expressions of outrage—they expose the moral absurdity of equating unarmed villagers with armed marauders as the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu made it to sound.
With a heart full of sadness, the President should kindly note that, what is happening in Benue is systematic and widespread. From Agatu to Gwer West, Otukpo to Kwande, and from the rivers of Apa to the farms of Buruku, entire communities have been uprooted, and ancestral lands forcibly seized. Humanitarian organizations estimate that over 2 million Benue indigenes now live in Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps, a staggering figure for a state whose agricultural productivity is crucial to national food security architecture.
“Benue has become a site of lost dreams and broken hopes,” the mentioned letter states. Once a state of vibrant rural life and thriving agribusiness, it now reels from economic sabotage, emotional trauma, and cultural erasure.
The devastation also carries serious implications for Nigeria’s food security. As the letter notes, Benue farmers are not mere subsistence growers; they are major contributors to large-scale food production. The breakdown of rural security is thus not just a local concern—it threatens supply chains, livelihoods, and export potential far beyond state borders.
The letter does not mince words about the federal government’s apparent indifference. It takes particular issue with a June 15 statement by Mr. Bayo Onanuga, the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy. The statement, which labeled the massacres as “reprisal attacks,” is described as “deeply offensive and disheartening.” The authors accuse the federal narrative of “false balance”—an attempt to diplomatically distribute blame and downplay the one-sided nature of the violence.
“There have been no provocations from Benue communities that could justify the scale or frequency of the violence,” the letter argues. “What we witness are deliberate, organized, and targeted attacks on unarmed civilians… To call it anything less than genocide ignores the suffering of thousands and emboldens the perpetrators.”
Moreover, while President Tinubu reportedly cancelled a visit to Kaduna to visit Benue on June 18, the letter emphasised that the gesture, though appreciated, falls short of what the situation demands. In the authors’ view, the lack of federal arrests, prosecutions, or significant interventions represents a dereliction of constitutional responsibility.
“Are Benue lives worthless?” they ask, underscoring the stark disparity in federal responses when violence occurs in other parts of the country like Sokoto, Kano, or Maiduguri.
The letter outlines a six-point demand list, forming a roadmap to justice and long-term peace in the region as follows.
Public Acknowledgment: A clear and unequivocal presidential condemnation of the massacres as acts of terror and ethnic cleansing.
It also demands security Deployment: A coordinated and sustained federal military presence in vulnerable LGAs including Guma, Ukum, Logo, Agatu, Kwande, and Otukpo.
The Diaspora group equally call for Independent Investigation: A transparent probe into the role—or failure—of military and police personnel in protecting communities, with legal consequences for any found complicity.
As regards resettlement and rehabilitation the Diaspora network prefers a situation where federal program to rebuild homes, farms, schools, and clinics in destroyed communities are adequately compensate victims.
For land Recovery, it was specifically agreed that legal and strategic efforts are made to reclaim ancestral lands and ensure the dignified return of displaced persons.
Equally, Authentic Dialogue, should not be construed to be between “warring parties,” but between the Federal Government and Benue stakeholders to address structural injustices and long-standing grievances.
The letter’s tone is not one of helplessness, but of resolve. It is a reminder that the people of Benue are not asking for charity. It is ladden with specific request. They are demanding justice, constitutional protection, and an end to impunity. The authors challenge the President to demonstrate leadership and humanity in a time of crisis.
“True leadership is measured by how a nation’s leader responds to the cries of their people for justice,” the letter concludes. “The people of Benue are not asking for handouts. We demand our right to life.”
Indeed, while President Tinubu’s visit to Benue is a symbolic gesture, the people yearn for tangible policy actions: security reforms, judicial accountability, and a narrative reset that affirms their dignity.
This moment, as the letter emphasizes, is a test—not just of Tinubu’s administration, but of Nigeria’s collective conscience. Will this be remembered as the time the Nigerian state turned a blind eye to genocide within its borders? Or will it mark the beginning of a turnaround—a time when silence was broken, truth acknowledged, and justice pursued?
The suffering in Benue is real. The fear is real. But so too is the opportunity for moral leadership.
What is at stake is not only the future of Benue State but the soul of a nation. A just and unified Nigeria cannot be built on the foundation of ignored tragedies and double standards. It can only emerge when every citizen, regardless of ethnicity or region, is guaranteed the right to life, safety, and belonging.
As the dust settles on yet another massacre, the Nigerian government must answer the question echoing from every IDP camp, every mass grave, and every weeping mother in Benue: How many more must die before justice becomes policy?
Announcer/Contact: *Benue Diaspora Groups* through the *Benue Directorate of Diaspora Linkages and Investments*
