Paramount ruler of the Tiv Nation, His Royal Majesty Prof. James Ayatse, has declared that the ongoing violence in Benue State is not a mere farmers-herders conflict but a calculated, decades-long genocidal campaign aimed at displacing indigenous communities and seizing their lands.
Speaking during President Bola Tinubu’s visit to Makurdi, the Tor Tiv emphasised that the crisis, marked by recent attacks in Yelewata, Guma Local Government Area, is a “full-scale genocidal invasion and land-grabbing operation by herder-terrorists and bandits.”
The Yelewata massacre, which claimed over 200 lives, mostly women and children, has reignited outrage across Nigeria. Survivors recounted harrowing tales of armed herders storming the community on 13 June, 2025, killing indiscriminately and displacing over 3,000 residents.
The Tor Tiv dismissed narratives framing the violence as communal clashes, warning that such misdiagnoses hinder solutions. “This has been worsening every year,” he said, urging decisive action.
President Tinubu, responding to the crisis, met with stakeholders, including local leaders and security chiefs, to address the escalating insecurity. He condemned the violence and vowed to restore peace, with the military and police launching a cross-border manhunt for the perpetrators.
However, public frustration grows, with protests in Makurdi demanding a state of emergency.
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