“The latest news of wanton killings in Benue State is very depressing. Enough is now enough,” Tinubu said in a statement issued by the presidency.
President Bola Tinubu on Sunday directed security chiefs to implement military intervention in Benue State and called on Governor Hyacinth Alia to lead reconciliation efforts between victims and perpetrators of recent violence.
The directive followed Friday night’s deadly attacks on Yelewata and Daudu communities in Guma LGA, where over 100 people, mostly internally displaced Tiv farmers, were killed.
“The latest news of wanton killings in Benue State is very depressing. Enough is now enough,” Tinubu said in a statement issued by the presidency.
The president urged Governor Alia to “immediately lead the process of dialogue and reconciliation that will bring peace to Benue,” a call that has drawn mixed reactions from Nigerians, many of whom questioned reconciling victims with their attackers.
Tinubu added, “I have directed the security agencies to act decisively and arrest perpetrators… Political and community leaders must avoid inflammatory utterances.”
The statement came hours after public criticism of the president’s silence, especially after he earlier condoled India over a plane crash but remained silent on the Benue killings for two days.
Despite military presence, residents described the massacre as the worst since 2009.