Yelwata IDPs protest hunger, neglect, alleged diversion of relief materials

Despite President Bola Tinubu’s visit to Benue State on Wednesday, aimed at addressing the aftermath of the massacre at Yelwata, which claimed about 200 lives, tension remains high across the state.

While the President was in Benue, reports emerged of herdsmen actively grazing cattle on farmlands in parts of the state, further heightening anxiety.

In Uvir Ward of Guma Local Council, farmers reported an influx of cattle accompanied by Fulani herdsmen between Wednesday and yesterday. An eyewitness, Samuel Jootar, told The Guardian that the herders led thousands of cattle through farmlands in Tse-Orvihi and Antsa villages. Another farmer, Selumun, described the sudden presence of herders as alarming, with residents fleeing their homes out of fear of potential attacks.

“These herders just appeared with thousands of cattle, moving freely across our farmlands. People are afraid. We’ve not provoked anyone, but our farmers are already abandoning their homes and crops,” Selumun said.

With memories of the Yelwata massacre still fresh, the development has sparked fears of renewed violence in Guma and other parts of the state. Adding to the tense atmosphere was the arrest of a busload of Fulani men carrying an undisclosed consignment in Lessel, Ushongo Local Council.

On Wednesday night, local youths intercepted the group but were unable to verify the contents of the bus as the police intervened, whisking the suspects and the vehicle to the police station.

According to reports, the Divisional Police Officer, CSP Abubakar Abba, transferred the suspects to the police headquarters in Makurdi, leaving the bus with its contents at the station. Efforts by the youths to uncover the goods in the vehicle were met with resistance, with both the suspects and the police refusing to reveal the contents.

Bemgba Iortyom, former state publicity secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), expressed concern over the incident, noting that it coincided with an earlier audio warning of a potential attack by suspected herdsmen in the area.

Ushongo Local Council Chairman, Terkimbi Adzu, who was returning from President Tinubu’s visit to Benue, confirmed the situation, stating that the suspects had been handed over to the Special Investigative Bureau (SIB) of the Benue State Police Command. However, as of the time of filing this report, the contents of the bus remained undisclosed.

Also, Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) from the Yelwata crisis took to the streets of Makurdi yesterday, protesting worsening conditions at their camp and accusing officials of neglect and diversion of relief materials meant for their survival.

The aggrieved IDPs blocked the busy road near the Makurdi International Market, causing significant traffic gridlock as they demanded urgent government intervention and accountability from relief agencies.

The protesters claimed that at least two people had recently died in the camp due to starvation and the deteriorating health environment. Some alleged that food items and mattresses, including those reportedly donated by the Senior Pastor of Dunamis International Gospel Centre, Dr Paul Enenche, failed to reach them.

“There’s no food, our children are starving, we sleep on the floor, and mosquitoes are almost killing us,” a female protester stated while holding a placard. “We are suffering, and people are dying.”

The protesters accused camp officials of hoarding and possibly diverting donated materials. They called on the Benue State Government and humanitarian agencies to investigate the allegations and ensure transparent distribution of aid.

As of press time, government officials had yet to issue a formal statement regarding the protest or the allegations.

NYSC evacuates Corps members to safety

The Benue State Coordinator of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Mrs Veronica Garba, has disclosed that Corps members stationed in crisis-affected areas have been relocated to family houses in Makurdi for their safety.

Speaking yesterday in Wannune, Tarka Local Council, Garba explained that the NYSC management swiftly evacuated Corps members from Yelewata and Daudu areas following reports of unrest.

According to her, the members were settled in designated NYSC family houses, including facilities managed by the Nigeria Corpers Christian Fellowship (NCCF), the National Association of Catholic Corps Members (NACCM), and the Muslim Corpers Association of Nigeria (MCAN).

“We do not joke with the safety of our Corps members because we take them as our children,” Garba stated. “As soon as we heard about the crisis, we contacted the Commissioner of Police, who deployed officers to assist with the evacuation.

“We then conducted a head count, and none was missing. We arranged with the heads of all the family houses and got the Corps members settled in Makurdi, pending when the situation improves.”

Mrs Garba reassured parents that their children were safe and urged them to remain calm. She also expressed confidence in the improved security measures in Benue State, including the relocation of security chiefs to the area.

“I am sure that the parents of our Corps members have heard that all the security chiefs have moved to Benue, so they have no reason to fear. Above all, God who is the safest security is everywhere; He is with your children too,” she said.

Defence chief links community members to Yelwata massacre, urges vigilance

Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, has revealed that some individuals in Benue State aided armed criminals involved in the recent deadly attack on Yelwata community, where dozens were killed.

Speaking during an expanded media interaction at Defence Headquarters in Abuja yesterday, Musa stated that these community members provided the attackers with accommodation, food, and even women. He also disclosed that local informants guided the criminals to the Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp in Yelwata, leading to the high casualty count.

“These criminals were harboured by people in the community. They were given food. They were even given women. They were guided on where the IDP camp was located. Yet, security forces received no information,” the CDS said.

General Musa explained that troops had acted on intelligence about planned attacks in various Benue communities and were deployed accordingly. However, the attackers used misinformation to mislead security forces, executing a hit-and-run assault on Yelwata before troops could respond.

Also, the CDS defended the military’s de-radicalisation programme for repentant terrorists, asserting that fully rehabilitated individuals rarely return to their former ways. He added that many civilian casualties during military operations are sympathisers or trainees of terrorist groups.

President Bola Tinubu, according to the CDS, has directed the full activation of all national security agencies, including the Army, Navy, Air Force, Police, and intelligence services, to track down the attackers and ensure justice is served.

“This is why we consistently urge communities to be vigilant and report suspicious activities. Security is everyone’s responsibility,” he said. General Musa further urged the Federal Government to address Nigeria’s porous borders, warning that the country’s unmonitored frontiers are being exploited by armed groups and fighters from conflict-ridden nations like Sudan, Libya, and the Central African Republic. He highlighted the need for stronger border control to counter rising instability in the Sahel region.

SMBLF calls for regional security outfits, rejects federal forest guards

The Southern and Middle Belt Leaders Forum (SMBLF) has expressed concerns over what it described as the federal government’s inadequate approach to addressing the nation’s insecurity challenges. During an emergency meeting held in Abuja, the group criticised the over-reliance on the military, stating that it puts unnecessary strain on the armed forces.

SMBLF urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the National Assembly to fulfil their constitutional duties of safeguarding the lives and property of Nigerians.

In a communiqué signed by Oba Oladipo Olaitan (Afenifere), Dr Bitrus Pogu (Middle Belt Forum), Senator John Azuta-Mbata (Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide), and Godknows Igali (PANDEF), SMBLF recommended that police officers below the rank of Assistant Commissioner of Police be deployed to their respective states of origin for more effective policing.

The group also advocated for state governments to establish regional security outfits, such as the South West’s Amotekun Network, equipped with necessary weapons to counter insurgency and terrorism until true federalism is achieved.

“The Federal Government of Nigeria and particularly the National Assembly must now accept their failure to provide the most fundamental security of life and property across the country whilst we witness the impunity of Fulani terrorists and their foreign collaborators wrecking genocidal attacks on indigenous communities across the nation and particularly in the Middle Belt region, as is happening currently in Benue State,” the communiqué read.

SMBLF condemned the proposed National Forest Guards initiative, describing it as an unnecessary federal security structure. It called for security institutions, aside from the armed forces, police, civil defence, and the Department of State Services, to be incorporated into state security frameworks.

The group also rejected the reintroduction of RUGA or similar policies aimed at acquiring state land for private ranching, particularly in Plateau State. It described such policies as an attempt to displace indigenous communities in favour of nomadic herdsmen.

SMBLF urged the government to reclaim territories occupied by terrorist herdsmen and to end the reliance on internally displaced persons (IDP) camps, calling the policy a “shameful” strategy that leaves indigenous peoples dispossessed of their lands.

Obi, Farotimi fault Tinubu’s Benue visit

Former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi has criticised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s visit to Benue State, describing it as insensitive and failing to acknowledge the magnitude of the recent tragic loss of lives in the region.

In a post shared on his official X handle yesterday, Obi expressed disappointment over the conduct of the visit, stating that it resembled a political rally rather than a condolence trip to a grieving community.

“We pleaded that the President should show leadership and visit Benue and Niger states in the spirit of deep national mourning, to offer compassion and solidarity to families torn apart by the senseless massacre of over 200 innocent Nigerians in Benue State and flooding that killed a similar number in Niger State,” Obi wrote.

Obi criticised the President’s appearance, saying it did not convey mourning but celebration. “The President arrived not in mourning cloth but in celebratory agbada attire, like it was an occasion for joy,” he stated.

The former presidential candidate also condemned the Benue State Government for declaring a public holiday for the visit, alleging that the day was used to organise celebrations rather than moments of prayer or reflection.

“Children who should be mourning their slaughtered classmates and parents were instead lined up under the rain, rehearsed to sing and dance for the President,” Obi lamented.

Similarly, Human rights activist and lawyer, Dele Farotimi, described President Bola Tinubu’s visit to Benue State as lacking empathy, stating that it would have been better if the President had not visited at all.

Farotimi, speaking yesterday on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief, said the only meaningful contribution during the President’s visit to Makurdi on Wednesday came from the Tor Tiv, James Ayatse, who characterised the ongoing attacks in the state as a “calculated, well-planned, full-scale genocidal invasion and land grabbing campaign by herder terrorists and bandits”.

“I must say very quickly that it would have been better if the President didn’t go,” Farotimi said.He praised the Tor Tiv for addressing the situation in Benue with clarity and eloquence, highlighting the suffering of the victims.

“The only thing worthy of anybody’s time was the words of the Tor Tiv, who spoke extensively to the reality of the situation in the Benue trough and spoke eloquently to the pains of the victims,” Farotimi added.

Criticising the President’s conduct, Farotimi remarked that Tinubu’s visit offered little beyond superficial gestures. “Other than that, all the President had to offer were mere windows into his preoccupation and what truly concerns his aides and assistants,” he concluded.

Gov Alia commends President for support during Benue crisis

Benue State Governor Hyacinth Alia has expressed gratitude to President Bola Tinubu for his support and presence during the state’s challenging times, describing it as a source of hope and strength for the people.

In a statement issued yesterday by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Tersoo Kula, in Makurdi, Alia praised the President for ordering the arrest of armed herders terrorising Benue communities and the country at large.

“We deeply appreciate your commitment to addressing the security challenges, particularly your directive to the Chief of Defence Staff and the Inspector General of Police,” Alia said.

“Your decisive action to neutralise the threats posed by armed herders reassures us that our safety and the return of our farmers to their lands are priorities for your administration.”

The governor also lauded Tinubu’s assurances to collaborate with the state government in bringing lasting peace to Benue.

“On behalf of the people of Benue, I appreciate President Tinubu for his visit to the state following the tragic events, especially the pogrom at Yelwata town,” he said.

Governor Alia extended his gratitude to his fellow governors, particularly the Progressive Governors’ Forum led by Governor Hope Uzodimma, for their solidarity with Benue during this period.

“Your collective efforts demonstrated a united front against violence and a shared commitment to the well-being of communities across the country,” he stated. (The Guardian)