Tinubu Cancels Kaduna Trip, Diverts to Benue Following Deadly Attack in Yelewata…President Bola Tinubu has canceled his scheduled visit to Kaduna State and will now travel to Benue State on Wednesday, June 18, 2025, in response to a brutal attack in the Yelewata community that claimed the lives of over 150 people.
The shift in the President’s itinerary comes amid growing national outrage and calls for urgent government intervention following the massacre, which has left the community in deep mourning and fear.
The attack, which occurred late Friday night, saw heavily armed assailants—believed to be herdsmen—storming the village while residents were asleep.
The attackers opened fire indiscriminately, killing scores and setting dozens of homes ablaze.
Survivors recounted scenes of horror as people, including women and children, were burned alive or gunned down while attempting to flee.
A local market, where many had sought refuge, was also targeted and destroyed. Along with the lives lost, a year’s worth of harvested crops and vital food supplies were razed, compounding the tragedy and threatening a food crisis in the affected region.
Local sources suggest the massacre is the latest and deadliest episode in the ongoing clashes between farming communities and herders over land use and grazing rights—an issue that has long plagued the Middle Belt region.
In recent years, Benue State has become one of the hardest-hit areas in these recurrent conflicts, with thousands displaced and hundreds killed in what many describe as unchecked acts of terrorism.
In light of the recent carnage, President Tinubu directed key federal officials to immediately proceed to Benue ahead of his visit.
The delegation includes the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, the Inspector General of Police, the National Security Adviser, and the heads of Nigeria’s intelligence services.
Their task is to assess the security situation on the ground, coordinate with local authorities, and begin preliminary efforts toward restoring calm.
The President also ordered the Chairmen of the Senate and House Defence Committees to accompany him on the visit.
While in Benue, President Tinubu is expected to hold a series of high-level engagements with stakeholders, including traditional rulers, political leaders, religious figures, youth representatives, and civil society groups.
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A town hall meeting is scheduled as part of the visit, where community members are expected to voice their concerns and expectations regarding the persistent violence and the government’s response.
Condemning the attack as “senseless bloodletting,” President Tinubu vowed that the perpetrators would be hunted down and brought to justice.
He directed all security agencies to launch a full-scale manhunt and carry out targeted military operations to root out criminal elements in the state.
He further assured residents that his administration would not allow such atrocities to go unpunished, stressing that peace and security remain a top priority.
The decision to prioritize Benue has led to the postponement of the President’s earlier planned visit to Kaduna, where he was scheduled to commission several state government projects. That visit has now been moved to Thursday, June 19, 2025.
The Yelewata massacre has reignited calls for sweeping reforms in Nigeria’s security architecture and renewed scrutiny of the federal government’s handling of rural violence, especially in the Middle Belt and northern regions.
Human rights organizations and local leaders have criticized what they perceive as the government’s slow response and failure to prevent recurring attacks despite multiple security deployments and repeated warnings.
As President Tinubu prepares to visit Benue, expectations are high that his presence will mark the beginning of a more decisive and sustained government effort to end the cycle of violence that continues to haunt communities across the region.
