Tinubu Summons Security Chiefs, Ex-Governors to Tackle Benue Carnage…President Bola Tinubu has launched an urgent security response following the massacre of more than 100 people in Yelewata, a community in Guma Local Government Area of Benue State.
The killings, which have drawn nationwide outrage, were carried out by unidentified gunmen who invaded the area in a coordinated night attack, leaving scores of villagers dead and several homes destroyed.
In reaction to the tragedy, the President travelled to Makurdi, the Benue State capital, where he held a closed-door meeting with top security officials.
According to sources present, Tinubu expressed deep frustration over the failure of security agencies to prevent the killings or make any arrests in their aftermath.
He was said to have demanded immediate answers, questioning why such a large-scale attack could occur without timely intelligence or response from law enforcement.
“If we say never again, we must mean never again,” the President reportedly told security chiefs. “This cannot continue. No Nigerian life should be wasted without consequences.”
The President then issued a directive for the immediate launch of a manhunt to apprehend the perpetrators.
He said the government would not tolerate further acts of impunity, adding that those responsible must be brought to justice swiftly.
Tinubu described the killings as a national tragedy and emphasized that failure to act decisively would only embolden criminals across the country.
Following the President’s visit, National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu convened an emergency session of the National Security Council at the State House in Abuja.
The meeting was attended by service chiefs, the Inspector General of Police, intelligence heads, and several former governors from Benue and neighboring Plateau State.
The involvement of ex-governors in the security dialogue marks a strategic shift, as the government seeks to incorporate local knowledge and long-standing political relationships to foster grassroots solutions to the violence.
Ribadu stated that the security situation in Benue could no longer be addressed solely through military deployments.
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He emphasized the need for political dialogue, community engagement, and collaborative leadership involving those who have governed the state and understand its internal challenges.
It was revealed that part of the strategy going forward will include the deployment of joint security task forces, coordinated intelligence gathering, and sustained community-level peacebuilding.
As the people of Guma Local Government Area begin mass burials for victims of the attack, calls for justice have grown louder.
Survivors and local leaders say the federal government must not only respond with force but must also ensure that the long-standing grievances between herder and farming communities are addressed through legal and policy reforms.
President Tinubu, in a public statement issued later in the day, mourned the victims and promised that justice would be served. “
The blood of the innocent must not be in vain. This is not just a Benue tragedy. This is a Nigerian tragedy,” he said.
The killings have triggered renewed public debate over the state of Nigeria’s internal security. On social media, Nigerians have demanded accountability using hashtags like #BenueMassacre and #SecureNigeria.
Several civil society organisations have issued statements criticizing what they describe as the government’s delayed response and inadequate protection of rural communities.
Within the National Assembly, some lawmakers have called for a full review of Nigeria’s security framework, urging greater funding for surveillance systems, community policing, and local peace-building initiatives.
Others are pushing for the establishment of special rural protection units to prevent further attacks on farming communities, which have increasingly come under threat.
As joint military-police operations begin in central Benue, many residents remain skeptical, fearing that the cycle of violence may continue without a clear shift in strategy and visible results.
For now, President Tinubu’s intervention has raised public expectations, but the real test lies in whether his administration can translate this urgency into lasting peace and justice for the people of Benue State.
