Benue monarch refutes “farmer-herder clash” narrative, calls killings “genocide” in meeting with Tinubu
What we are dealing with in Benue is a calculated, well planned, full scale genocidal invasion and land grabbing campaign by herder- terrorists and bandits.
— Channels Television (@channelstv) June 18, 2025
-Tor Tiv V, Prof. James Ayatse #CTVTweets pic.twitter.com/Yj2wN1wSwM
MAKURDI, NIGERIA – The paramount ruler of the Tiv nation, Tor Tiv V, James Ayatse, on Wednesday told President Bola Tinubu that the persistent killings in Benue State are not farmer-herder clashes but a deliberate and planned invasion aimed at land grabbing.
Speaking at a high-level security meeting with the President and state stakeholders, the monarch asserted that a fundamental misunderstanding of the crisis has led to ineffective solutions. “We do have grave concerns about the misinformation and misrepresentation of the security crisis in Benue State,” Ayatse said.
He directly refuted common narratives about the violence. “Your Excellency, it’s not herders-farmers clashes, it’s not communal clashes, it’s not reprisal attacks or skirmishes.”
Instead, the traditional ruler described the situation as a “calculated, well-planned, full-scale genocidal invasion and land-grabbing campaign” by terrorists and bandits. He cautioned that treating the crisis as a simple communal dispute was a grave error. “Wrong diagnosis will always lead to wrong treatment… We are dealing with something far more sinister than we think. It’s not about learning to live with your neighbours; it is dealing with a war.”