Gen. Musa, after assessing the carnage, raised alarms over insider collaboration, stating, “The targeted burnings suggest they had help from within.”
MAKURDI — The military and police have launched a joint cross-border operation to track down gunmen who killed approximately 200 villagers in Yelewata, Benue State, on June 13.
Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Christopher Musa and Inspector-General of Police Kayode Egbetokun arrived in Makurdi on Monday to coordinate the manhunt, vowing to “take the battle to the terrorists.”
Gen. Musa, after assessing the carnage, raised alarms over insider collaboration, stating, “The targeted burnings suggest they had help from within.” He pledged revised strategies but stressed community cooperation: “We cannot do it alone.” The IGP echoed the urgency, calling the killings “an attack on Nigeria’s sovereignty.”
President Bola Tinubu postponed a scheduled trip to Kaduna, opting to visit Benue on June 18 instead. His aide, Bayo Onanuga, confirmed the President would meet stakeholders to “seek lasting solutions.”
Governor Hyacinth Alia blamed “externally sponsored” violence, disclosing federal support had reduced attacks in 14 of 23 LGAs. However, Senator David Mark warned of “self-help” if security fails.
Amnesty International reported 100 deaths, with hundreds displaced. The Arewa Consultative Forum and Jama’atu Nasril Islam condemned the “barbaric” killings, while CSW-Nigeria urged Tinubu to *”move beyond rhetoric.”
As rains heighten farmer-herder tensions, residents brace for reprisals. The NGF and RULAAC demanded emergency measures, with the latter urging “swift justice, not dialogue.”