Collins Nnabuife, Author at Tribune Online

The Northern Elders Forum (NEF) has condemned the persistent wave of killings and violence engulfing Benue State, describing the situation as genocide and a direct consequence of government inaction, political complicity, and systemic collapse. In a statement issued by Professor Abubakar Jika Jiddere, spokesperson of the NEF, the Forum decried the alarming scale of human loss and suffering across Benue, warning that the state, once a pillar of agricultural productivity and economic stability, is now descending into lawlessness and despair. He said: “The situation has degenerated into unrestrained bloodshed and lawlessness, turning communities into killing fields and exposing the utter collapse of governance, accountability, and security. “Benue State, one of Nigeria’s critical agricultural hubs, plays a vital role in national food production, youth and women employment, and economic stability. Today, this once-thriving state is under siege. “The lives of its innocent citizens are being violently cut short, and its socio-economic structure is being systematically destroyed, while the government stands by in silence, helplessness, or worse, complicity.” He further stated that the NEF is outraged by the continued massacres, noting that over 150 people were recently slaughtered in Yelwata community. “In Guma and Logo Local Government Areas, another 200 lives were wiped out. Thousands have been displaced into squalid, unsafe IDP camps with no access to healthcare, clean water, or basic necessities. Medical services are overstretched and on the brink of collapse. Women, children, and the elderly are dying in silence while the government looks away. “Let it be clearly stated: this is not an ethnic conflict, as it is deceptively portrayed. It is an internal political crisis, one that has been allowed to fester due to criminal negligence, partisan interests, and a complete failure of leadership. “The deliberate attempt to reframe this politically driven violence as an ethnic or communal issue is dishonest, irresponsible, and dangerous. It deflects from the truth and emboldens those behind these atrocities. “The government's refusal to act, speak, or even acknowledge the scale of the crisis is a betrayal of its core constitutional responsibility. It has failed in its primary duty to protect the lives and property of its citizens. What we are witnessing is not just failure, but deliberate inaction, a culture of impunity, and an alarming collapse of national integrity,” he added. The Forum warned that mischaracterising the killings risks emboldening perpetrators, distracting from the truth, and fuelling further instability. The Forum demanded: Immediate and total deployment of elite, properly equipped security forces to Benue State to end the killings and restore peace and order. Enough of the half-measures and empty rhetoric. A full-scale, independent investigation into the political and economic interests fuelling the violence, and the systemic cover-ups being perpetuated by criminal actors. Swift arrest and public prosecution of all perpetrators, including any officials found complicit by action or omission. No one must be above the law. Comprehensive compensation and rehabilitation for victims, bereaved families, and displaced communities. A national security overhaul that confronts the truth, embraces transparency, and includes all regional stakeholders in the search for sustainable peace. NEF said it stands in unshakable solidarity with the people of Benue and all crisis-hit communities in Northern Nigeria. “These killings were preventable. The destruction we are seeing today is the direct consequence of government indifference, incompetence, and dereliction of its core responsibilities. Enough is enough. “If the government continues on this path of silence and denial, it will have declared itself an enemy of justice, unity, and the people it was elected to serve,” he added. ALSO READ TOP STORIES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE