President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has issued a renewed directive to Nigeria’s security chiefs, demanding the immediate and effective implementation of his earlier orders to restore peace and security in Benue State.
The move follows a series of devastating attacks that have left scores dead and communities in turmoil.
In a statement released by the Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the presidency said, “President Bola Tinubu has directed security chiefs to implement his earlier directive to bring lasting peace and security to Benue State.”
The president’s call to action comes in the wake of a gruesome overnight assault on the Yelewata community on June 14, in which over 100 people were reportedly slaughtered by armed gunmen.
The massacre, one of the deadliest in recent months, has provoked national outrage and renewed scrutiny of the federal government’s response to escalating violence in the state.
SaharaReporters confirmed that three security operatives also lost their lives during the Yelewata assault, while 16 others sustained injuries.
The attack has further exposed the vulnerability of both residents and security personnel amid what many now describe as a humanitarian catastrophe.
The Yelewata tragedy is the latest in a series of coordinated assaults across Benue. On June 10, three young men were ambushed and killed in Edikwu-G’Icho, Apa Local Government Area (LGA).
On the same day, a man identified as Sunday Dutse was murdered along the Odugbeho-Ogbaulu road in Agatu LGA.
Governor Hyacinth Alia, speaking to Channels Television prior to the latest incident, described the wave of killings as anything but random.
“We are under siege,” Alia declared. “This is directed, planned, and executed violence, not mere communal clashes. We are receiving intel, and 60 to 65 percent of it has proven accurate.”
Alia warned that Benue State is facing organized acts of terrorism and called for urgent federal intervention.
Human rights groups have condemned the unrelenting bloodshed, accusing the Nigerian authorities of failing to protect citizens.
One watchdog group stated, “The Nigerian authorities must immediately end the almost daily bloodshed in Benue State and bring the actual perpetrators to justice.
What happened into the early hours of Saturday shows the security measures government claims to be implementing in the state are not working.”
As tension rises and communities mourn, many are now watching to see whether President Tinubu’s latest directive will translate into real action—or simply become another unfulfilled promise in the face of mounting insecurity.
